‘You know what I mean, Maddie. Are you about to go knocking on doors four hours after our shift finished?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘That means yes.’
‘It means I don’t know. If I open up that address book and she’s listed then of course I will. But I’m pretty certain I didn’t see it.’
‘But you’re still going in.’
‘I wouldn’t sleep if I didn’t.’
‘Fine . . . I’m five minutes from home. I’ll meet you in the office.’
‘Oh don’t do that! That wasn’t why I was calling. It’s a shot in the dark. The name will probably come up with nothing. Should I get lucky, I can get the night duty DC to come out with me — or a response car. There’s no need for you to come back to work.’
‘Then why did you call me?’
‘I don’t know, actually. I guess I just wanted to run it past you.’
‘You wanted my permission. You wanted to be able to say that I okayed it when you turn up at some hen party preparing for a night out and get a complaint for accusing them all of being prostitutes. You don’t have my permission, Maddie. You need to find something pretty hard and fast linking this address to something in this case before we turn out. This is a shot in the dark — even for you.’
‘I thought of the hen thing and I agree with you, believe it or not! I guess I wanted to talk it through and now I’ve said it out loud I can see there’s a number of plausible reasons. It just stood out. I can’t not check that name, though.’
‘I’m five minutes from home, then it’s twenty-five minutes to get to you.’
‘I’ll be wasting your time, the more I think about it . . . Harry?’
There was no response; he’d already hung up. Now she was worried. She never minded wasting her own time on a likely spurious lead but now she was bringing her inspector in, too. And she was still trying to build up his confidence in her. So what, she shrugged, she had told him not to come out and conceded that it was tenuous. It might not all be a complete waste anyway. She had ordered far too much Chinese food.
* * *
University Hill in Canterbury was as steep as its name suggested, meaning that Kelly’s car very quickly started to struggle. A mechanic had told her what it was, something about the fuel line maybe moving or pinching when the car was at an angle so that it choked the fuel supply. That was certainly a good fit for the sound; it was as if someone was wringing its neck, leaving room for just an occasional splutter to jerk the car forward. She was thankful that the turning for the campus was only half way up the hill. Had it been much further, she was certain the car wouldn’t have made it.
The nights were really starting to draw in. It was just before 8 p.m. and already as dark as it was going to get. The clocks would go back in a few weeks and British Summer Time would be over — not that you would think it from the warm air blowing in through her open window.
The university’s campus grounds were expansive. She hadn’t been here before and it was nothing like what she had expected. The uni buildings in the city were modern, with aggressive edges and darkened glass, at odds with the medieval walkways they pushed up against. Here, all she could see were flat lawns punctured by clumps of trees. She narrowed her eyes and leaned forward to try and see as far ahead as she could. Grey tarmac snaked away into the distance with the green of the lawns turning black the instant they moved beyond the reach of the white street lamps that peppered the raised pavements. Her headlights were of little help, reaching out with a weak, off-white beam and flickering as the car threatened to stall again when she slowed for every speed hump. The gradient was increasing again and the whole car seemed to rattle and shake as she pushed harder on the accelerator, trying to get enough momentum to be able to coast the rest. She dipped the clutch just before it cut out completely.
‘Come on! Come on!’ She just made the brow and the road levelled out. She let the breath she’d been holding out in one go.
Buildings started appearing: black outlines at first; then came black outlines with lit windows and communal doors. She had instructions to follow signs for Gulbenkian Theatre and the block she needed would come up on her right.
She passed square, featureless buildings that were labelled as Student Accommodation, then more interesting buildings, with inspiring quotes and designs, clearly places of learning. The road continued on to a square of buildings that had the feel of the hub of the campus. She drove around it. There was a bus station, a large building that looked like a nightclub and a cash machine that seemed to blink in hope rather than expectation. Everything was empty and silent. It had the atmosphere of a town that had been evacuated in a hurry. And of course it had. Term had ended almost three months before; a new one would start in just over a week. Though life was due to rush back in, for now at least, it felt like it was just her.
She came to a mini roundabout. Gulbenkian Theatre was signposted right. This seemed to take her away from the main buildings, away from the cafes and nightclubs and away from the main clump of accommodation blocks. Even the street lighting ran out and lawns either side were now nothing but blackness. Her headlights picked out a white sign that pointed right and stated: Block J. She turned towards it. This building stood on its own. The entrance door was in the centre of the ground floor and lit in warm orange with a bright green sign announcing it as an exit. The parking area was empty.
The car spluttered for a final time when she killed the engine. She stepped out and the silence was instant to the point of being oppressive. The humidity added to the feeling overall. After the storms of the night before, the air was now heavy and eerily still. She had seen silent flashes of lightning on the way over but there were no other signs of a storm. She shut her door, snuffing the interior light and the night was darker still.
She walked towards the entrance on the south side of the building. The brief message had given her a time and address and nothing much else. She still took the phone out from her coat pocket to check it again. She was wearing her mother’s coat tonight, despite the warmth. She had doubled back to get it, a sudden need for the extra security she felt when wearing it perhaps. It didn’t seem to be having the effect tonight. Walking was uncomfortable, her thighs and her side still causing her pain, while a couple of strong painkillers had only softened the edges of the discomfort from her swollen face and head. All her injuries had been sustained the night before. She didn’t think she could take another one like it. She was halfway to the door when she stopped. She could feel a layer of sweat clinging to her back and she knew it wasn’t just the humidity. She tapped her pocket then spun back towards the car, striding back with more purpose to the driver’s door. She tugged it open and reached for the fruit knife she had abandoned in the side pocket. She held it so that it ran up her forearm, concealing it in case she was being watched, then pushing it into the pocket of her jeans. She had heard horror stories from girls who had carried knives for protection, about how clients had got hold of them and turned them on the carrier. She knew a knife was no guarantee of safety but she felt a little better as she crossed the car park back to the entrance.
The communal door was open. A fallen branch had been dragged in place to stop it swinging shut. She stepped over it as she entered. Now she could be sure someone else was there. She hesitated at the start of a corridor. It wasn’t lit beyond the entrance hall. She assumed the lights overhead would come on as they detected her movement. Either side of her were message boards with smiling students under bold headlines offering opportunities for new starters. She swept past them, instantly hating their warm colours and carefree tone.
Block J was three floors. The message she had received had just said ground floor corridor. She continued along it, noting that the lights stayed off, her pace slowed as she moved further away from the light. She moved past shut doors on the left and right. Even in the diminishing light she could see they were all the same shade of yellow with peepholes above door numbers that had a decim
al point. She passed 1.1 on her left while 1.2 was staggered and next on her right. 1.5 was ajar. The room beyond was also in darkness. She stopped to peer into the gloom.
‘Come in.’ It was Freddie’s voice, distant, as if it had come from the back of the room. Kelly reached out to push the door open further, trying to see where he stood. She felt her wrist gripped tightly and then she was jerked into the room, her head colliding with the door as she went. A light came on — instantly blinding and Kelly had to narrow her eyes. Her head throbbed with the new injury caused by the door and the old one agitated. Freddie was in front of her, leaning against a radiator that ran under a long window. The curtains were pulled tightly shut. She sensed someone off her right shoulder and turned to Benny’s standard grin. Her eyes struggled to adjust to the bright light.
‘What the fuck?’ Kelly managed.
‘Save your potty mouth for the show,’ Benny said. ‘They like it when you talk dirty.’ He chuckled at his own humour. Kelly looked over at Freddie. He wasn’t smiling or talking. The camera was set up over to her right, with the sofa pushed aside and a mattress laid out instead. She snatched her eyes away from it, doing her best to hold herself together.
‘I can’t do . . . not like last night, not so soon. It’s too painful . . .’
‘It was a good performance,’ Freddie growled quietly. ‘Have you any idea what people are paying to see that sort of stuff? You can get forced stuff on most sites but it’s all staged and the punters can tell. They want the real thing! There was nothing staged about last night. You put up a good fight, Kell. It’s almost a shame that this is to be your last performance.’
‘Last?’ Kelly felt a sudden flush of hope. ‘And Libby, too?’
The radiator clunked where Freddie pushed off it. He paced in front of her. ‘Ain’t that typical. Always thinking of others. It’s almost nice.’
Kelly felt a rush of emotion, she had to suppress it. ‘But, why? You just said you were making good money?’
‘Be careful now, Kell! You might talk me out of it!’ Freddie grinned. He stopped for a moment to linger on her mouth. He licked his own lips and continued his pacing, his hands thrust behind his back to push his broad chest out. ‘It’s risky, all this. The authorities take very badly to this sort of thing. They might call it rape. Personally I don’t see how you can rape a whore. There’s no such thing as consent with you, is there? I could see you were enjoying yourself. I saw your eyes light up when those two men walked in. You might have tried to fight them off, Kell, but you weren’t fooling anyone.’ He rounded on her and stepped close enough to push his lips almost against hers. ‘You ain’t fooling me.’
Kelly recoiled and turned her head sideways, away from his hot breath that smelt like an energy drink. It mingled with his sickly aftershave.
‘Am I right?’ His breath was against her ear now. He leaned closer still, close enough to take her lobe between his lips in a sort of embrace. She gritted her teeth as his hot tongue flicked out and he ran it up the side of her face. She finally pulled away, heedless of any consequences.
‘Jesus, Freddie!’
He laughed hard. Then he was back to pacing. ‘I’m right, though, aren’t I? Maybe that’s why I realised I had to let you go. These punters are paying top dollar. They want to see real fear. They want to see a hot young thing fighting for all she’s worth — not some washed-up old skank who thinks it’s all foreplay. They don’t want to see you anymore. You’re no fucking use to me, Kell. Libby, on the other hand . . .’
‘Come on Freddie! You know she’s not right. You talk about risks? About getting caught? You know I won’t say nothing. But that girl will roll the second the cops get a hold of her. And she’s a kid! They’ll really throw the book at you for that stuff—’
‘At WHO?’ The power of his shout almost knocked her off her feet. He was back close now, his breathing heavy and all over her face. His eyes fixed on her mouth. She felt his hand on her cheek and he caressed her face, his thumb running over her bottom lip, and he leaned in like he might kiss it. He snatched away, pushing her head as he did. ‘No one talks to no one about me. You don’t think I just made sure of that? You just need to do what you’re told, Kell. I know that ain’t something you’re too good at but just do as you’re told and that’s it. Once more. Then you’re done. And there’s no point worrying about Libby either. I’ll look after her.’ He turned away to face out the window. There were a few steps between them now. There was a long pause, during which she could hear Benny shuffling to her right.
‘Do we have a deal, then?’ Freddie said.
Kelly’s head dropped. Her mind rushed over what she could do, what she could say. There was nothing. Not here, not now. One more show and she was out. She could work on getting Libby out later. She didn’t know how yet; she just needed time.
‘Can I take my coat off,’ she whispered. ‘Before, I mean.’
‘What?’ Freddie rounded back on her. Kelly’s shoulders were slumped forward. She felt totally drained, like he had sucked every ounce of fight out of her. He wasn’t here to negotiate and she knew she couldn’t refuse.
‘The coat . . . it was my mum’s. The only thing I got from her. I just don’t want . . . no one else touches it and I don’t want it . . . messed up.’
‘Sure! Do what the fuck you want, Kell. But don’t be taking no more off! Let’s leave a few layers as part of the show, shall we?’
Kelly slipped the coat from one shoulder at a time. She gathered it up in her hand and moved to a desk that was against the wall. She lifted it to linger on her mother’s scent before bunching it up gently and putting it down. Freddie seemed happy to wait before he continued.
‘That’s better, Kell. See? You do as you’re told and we can get along. You seem to forget that I know how to play this game. I’ve done this a million times, with a million other girls. Or did you think it’s just you and her? Of course you did! And do you know how I do this? Do you know how I keep my business in order? It’s very simple and it’s all about what you’re feeling now . . . fear. That’s all I need. The police, they came to talk to me. Someone got stupid. They must have mentioned something to the cops. So I took action, I took back control of my business.’
‘Marlie. . . What you did was because of me?’
‘Fucking right it was! The hammer in her skull was for you, Kell.’ He licked his lips. Kelly didn’t think she had ever seen him so animated. ‘And I gave you the freedom to make sure the word got out. And it did, didn’t it? You went out like a good little messenger, making sure the rest of the girls knew not to fuck with me, that it wasn’t worth the risk to even breathe in the direction of the fucking pigs. And do you think they’ve been back to see me since? Of course they haven’t. They know nothing, Kell. I worked that out when I sat in their grubby little station while they fished for information. As for Libby, she won’t talk to the cops, even if she might have thought about it once, she won’t after tonight. I’ve arranged a little demonstration of what happens to people who think they can talk about me. You got to see our friend Marlie after I threw her in the bin like the fucking worthless whore she was. And here you are, Kell, just the same. And now you get to be the demonstration for Libby.’
He moved past her and she turned to watch him. His attention was directed at the floor. He stopped where a line of tape had been stuck to the carpet. There was another under the radiator on the opposite side of the room. She had vaguely noticed it but it hadn’t registered until now. Benny moved to an internal door, staying the far side of this same line. He thumped on the door twice then turned back towards Kelly, his face a picture of glee. He was struggling to contain himself, even emitting an excited little whimper. The door opened and two men entered. Both wore balaclavas and jeans and had broad, exposed chests. The lead man carried a hammer; the one at the back was dragging something big behind him. She already knew what it was: a big, black bin.
Kelly moved instantly towards the door. She ran into Benny, who struck her
hard enough to send her sprawling back into the middle of the room where she crumpled to the floor. For a moment she didn’t know which way was up. She could hear a voice now, it sounded distant. Her vision was mostly black, just a small square of white in the middle that was only gradually expanding.
‘Can you hear me, whore?’ Freddie’s voice sounded muffled as she lifted herself up onto her forearms.
‘Please, Freddie, you don’t have to do this!’ She could now see that Freddie had also pulled on a balaclava. He was now looming over her.
‘You’ve just gone live, Kell, and your public are expecting your final show to be a good one!’
‘Please!’
‘Just be sure to stay in the marked square now, won’t you? We don’t want the camera to miss your best bits.’
‘Freddie . . . please . . . I’ve always been good for you. I’ve always done what you wanted.’
There was movement in her peripheral vision. The men were closer, and so was the bin. Freddie gestured to them and they stopped. Freddie moved away, out of the square marked off by the tape. He pulled off his balaclava and sucked in enough air to bloat his chest. The movement drew her attention to the brown leather gloves on his hands. She didn’t know if he had been wearing them the whole time.
‘It’s like I said from the start. It’s you — or it’s Libby there.’
Freddie pointed over to a monitor on the floor next to the laptop. As before, it was divided up into four separate screens. Libby was already dancing in the top two, as seen from different angles. Her terrified and awkward shuffle was already familiar.
‘She’s not far from here,’ Freddie said, his voice louder in his excitement. ‘I can just get her in here, swap you over and put you in there for a solo like the good old days. But Libby then gets to take over your performance and I think you know what that means. Is that what you want? Just say the word!’ Freddie’s face was a picture of delight. He licked his lips again.
Kelly couldn’t find the words for an answer. The men were now either side of her. She scrabbled a little to move backwards so she could see them better.
He Knows Your Secrets Page 30
