by Helen Phifer
She nodded and walked towards the toilet door, trying not to let her legs betray how she really felt. Scared to speak she opened the door and stepped inside, sliding the tiny brass bolt across, a bolt so tiny even with her swollen stomach and ankles she would be able to kick it in. She had seen enough dead bodies in her time to know that those two girls in the photographs on the wall were well and truly dead. She lifted the toilet lid up and sat down, pulling her phone from her pocket. She needed to buy herself some time and to get hold of the police, because outside the toilet door was the man she had no doubt had been the one she’d seen in her vision and who had killed then buried those two girls in the woods. He also had something to do with her niece’s disappearance.
She pressed the switch to make the phone go onto silent and dialled Will’s number, but there was no signal. The sickness that had been churning inside her stomach began to rise up her throat. Next she tried Jake, then she dialled 999 but there was no signal to connect her. Typing out a message to Will she pressed send but the little red circle telling her there was no network appeared. Standing up, she flushed the toilet and pushed the phone down into her bra; hopefully when she moved out of the toilet into a more open area the message might send automatically. She washed her hands in the tiny sink, trying to think about what she was going to do, then she realised that the only thing she could do was pretend everything was normal and she had no idea who he was or what he’d done. She needed to walk out of here because she was in no position to fight him, not without getting hurt or worse still letting the baby get hurt. She opened the door to see him standing over by the long bench, messing with one of his cameras.
‘Would you like a drink before you go?’
‘No, thank you, I’ll only need the toilet again. Honestly, I had no idea when I found out I was pregnant that it meant spending nine months with backache and wasting more time in the toilet than on the sofa. I’ve taken up far too much of your time already. Thank you so much – I was busting.’
He smiled at her and she began to walk across to the door which he had led her through. It wasn’t too far away; she just had to stop acting like a freak and get to it. She didn’t give the pictures a second glance this time and had almost made it to the door when he spoke behind her.
‘Tell me, Annie, what do you really think about my photos? You looked a little shocked after you’d studied them. What did you see in them that no one else ever has? And believe me, there have been a lot of people in this studio since I decided to put those two extra-special photographs on my wall, and no one has given them more than a fleeting glance. I’d be interested to know why they stand out for you.’
‘I think they’re fabulous. I was a little – and please forgive me for being so rude – but I was surprised by just how good you are. I was kind of expecting you to be just average, if you know what I mean.’
He laughed.
‘I should take that as some kind of backward compliment then, should I? Are you sure you wouldn’t rather wait for Jo? I could take a couple of test shots of you while we’re waiting, see what you think of them. You could even take them home to show your husband how good I am.’
‘I can’t – sorry. I’ve just remembered I have an appointment with the midwife and she’ll be expecting me.’
She could feel the fine film of sweat that was forming on her brow and she knew that her voice sounded strained.
He nodded.
‘If you’re sure. I don’t have anyone booked in this afternoon because they cancelled at the last minute, and Jo could be a while yet. It’s just you and me.’
He gave her that big smile, the one his much younger self had given the girl in her vision, and her heart felt as if it was going to explode straight out of her chest. Annie knew that he knew she’d made the connection.
She turned to open the door to the outside world – to her freedom, to Will who she would get to come back with a search warrant and a team of men with very big guns… but she knew deep down that he wasn’t going to be letting her leave any time soon. Her hand clasped the cold brass handle. She was so close to her freedom, but before she could pull it down he was behind her. He wrapped a rope around her neck and began to pull it as tight as he could. Her fingers flew up to the taut rope, pulling at it, trying to free it from her neck. He walked backwards, dragging her with him, and the pressure on her neck made the room begin to swim. She lifted her foot and kicked her leg out behind her as hard as she could. It connected with his knee, giving her enough time to break free. With all her might she ran back towards the door, but he reached out for her arm; grabbing tight hold of it he yanked her and she felt herself begin to fall. Before she hit the floor he was there with a piece of white rag that had been soaked in some foul-smelling liquid, and he pressed it against her nose and mouth – making her gag. She opened her mouth to bite his hand, but he shoved the rag straight into it then punched her in the face. The world began to swim as a hundred hot pins and needles began to burn her eye socket and this time she couldn’t stop herself from blacking out.
Chapter 25
Jo put the groceries onto the conveyor belt and stared across at the headlines screaming out from the front page of the local newspaper. She looked up at the rest of the papers to see similar headlines and she felt sick. Those poor souls had been buried behind her house in the woods for all those years and she never had the slightest inkling. Well, technically it was Heath’s house; she’d moved in with him, selling her cottage to fund the build for the studio, leaving her with very little money. She did have a tin hidden at the back of the cupboard with almost two thousand pounds in – her emergency get-away stash – but she’d never had the guts to take it and use it to actually get away. Twice she’d come close, but then her nerves had got the better of her and she’d talked herself out of it. Weren’t all men thugs and bullies? She had nowhere to go and not enough money to start over again. The cashier had to ask her to pay twice, she’d been so absorbed in her daydream. Her cheeks burning, she’d apologised, taking the money from her purse and handing it over. As she wheeled the trolley across to the counter at the back of the shop to pack her bags she’d been oblivious to the queue behind her and hadn’t noticed her old boyfriend, the doctor, standing behind her. As she put the last of the shopping into her bag for life she felt a warm hand brush against her shoulder and she jumped, turning around. If Heath was here she’d be in trouble for taking so long that he’d had to come looking for her. The relief must have shown on her face when she saw it was Paul and immediately he apologised.
‘I’m sorry, Jo, I didn’t mean to scare you. Is everything okay? You seemed so distant.’
She tried her best not to, but she couldn’t help it – the tears began to fill her eyes, burning them, and before she knew it they began to roll down her cheeks. Mortified, she grabbed her bag and dashed out of the shop. She almost collided with a group of nine-year-olds on a school trip; muttering her apologies she realised that she sounded like a mad woman and wondered if he would have her committed to an insane asylum. Maybe that was what she needed; at least it would get her away from Heath. As she briskly walked away from the shop she tripped over the uneven curb and fell to the floor in a muddle of tins of tomatoes, broken eggs and orange juice. Two strong arms lifted her up and began to check her over to make sure she wasn’t injured.
‘Are you hurting anywhere?’
She shook her head, wanting the ground to open up and swallow her and the crushed shopping that was scattered at her feet.
‘Wait there. Don’t you dare move.’
She flinched and he reached out to touch her arm.
‘I meant don’t run away again. We need to talk. But if you don’t want to, then you really don’t have to… but I’d like it if we could.’
He didn’t look up at her because he was too busy salvaging what shopping he could. When he straightened up he shook his head.
‘I can’t believe that I’ve stood back and watched you for so long. I don’t car
e about your husband or what he thinks. You’ve had a shock and I’m taking you back to the surgery to make sure you’re okay and not hurt. We need to talk, and if there’s a problem then I want to help you. I can’t stand to watch you lose yourself any more. Look what he’s doing to you, Jo.’
She didn’t trust herself to speak. It had been so long since she’d been able to speak freely that she was afraid once she did she wouldn’t be able to stop. Paul took her by the arm, leading her away from the crowd of kids who were all arguing and shouting outside the shop, and walked her towards the surgery and his home.
Will had come out for some fresh air and witnessed the whole thing. He had been about to run to help Jo up when the doctor – who he only knew because of Annie’s many appointments – beat him to it and had picked her up. For a minute he wanted to applaud them; they looked much better suited than she did with the man she was married to, and he would bet that the doctor didn’t believe in beating women any more than Will did. He found himself rooting for Jo, hoping that she would open her eyes and make the move away from her husband like Annie finally had before it got too bad.
The surgery wasn’t far from the shop and before long Paul had his key out, had the front door open and was ushering her inside. Instead of taking her into his consulting room, he led her through the small, deserted waiting room and into the lounge at the back of the house where he gently sat her down. He went out of the room and came back in with a small glass of amber liquid. Jo shook her head.
‘Drink it – doctor’s orders.’
‘I don’t drink. Heath doesn’t like it.’
‘I don’t care what he doesn’t like. I’m asking you as a friend to drink it, not him.’
With hands that were shaking she took the glass from him, lifting it to her lips. She pulled a face and he nodded his head; then she tilted her head and downed it, sticking her tongue out and coughing. Passing the glass back to him she shuddered.
‘Urgh, that was foul.’
‘All the best medicine is. You should remember that from when you were a kid.’
He began to laugh and felt his heart fill with joy at the smile that spread across her face; suddenly she looked more like the Jo he used to know. Sitting down next to her he took hold of her hand; he expected her to pull away from him but she didn’t.
‘Look, I know this is none of my business. God knows I’ve kept my nose out for more years than I wanted to – but I can’t do it any more. I can’t bear to see you like this. I know that he hits you, bullies you and makes your life a misery. What I don’t know is why you let him… but that’s easy for me to say. You need to get out of there before he kills you – because he will. It’s just a matter of time. Each time I see you the injuries are worse. He never used to hit you where it could be seen, but now he doesn’t seem so fussy. He’s worn you down to a shadow of your former self. Have you looked in the mirror lately? You always had a lovely figure but now you’re just skin and bone. No wonder you bruise so easily.’
She didn’t want to speak because she knew once she did it would all come out, but the brandy had warmed her up, soothed her a little.
‘Don’t you think I know that? I’ve thought about it more times than I care to remember over the years, I really have – but I have nowhere to go if I left. I know for a fact that he’d come looking for me and kill me. He wouldn’t think twice about it. As much as I have a crap life I still love being alive, I enjoy living in this beautiful place, the warmth of the sun on my face and singing out of tune to the radio… I don’t want to die just yet.’
‘Then please let me help you. Why don’t we phone the police and tell them everything? Hell, if we walk fifty yards down the road there’s a village hall full of them. If you give a statement and he’s arrested he won’t be allowed to come near you.’
Jo began to laugh.
‘You always were such an optimist; that’s what I loved about you when we were dating. That might work for a day or two, but then do you really think he’s going to let me walk away from him? He will find a way and come after me, then he’ll kill me – and you, if he finds out you talked me into it.’
‘How do you know? They might just be empty threats. Most men are shameless wimps when faced with the harsh reality of prison.’
‘If he thought he was going to prison for giving me a good few slaps now and again then he would want to make it worth his while. Thank you for caring, Paul, I truly appreciate it, but there’s nothing I can do – it’s hopeless.’
She stood up because her stupid eyes were filling with tears again and she didn’t want him to think she was a complete loser.
‘What if I help you? You can come and live here with me. I have three spare bedrooms so you can take your pick. I don’t mean as anything other than a friend. I also have a state-of-the-art security system because of the drugs kept on the premises, so he wouldn’t be able to get near you because I would be here to stop him and the police would be here in minutes.’
‘Why would you want to do that for me? Why would you want to put yourself in so much danger? I’m not worth any of the hassle or heartache that I’d bring with me, Paul.’
‘Isn’t it obvious why?’
She shook her head. She had no idea. She didn’t know if he was married, divorced… hell, he could even be gay for all she knew. It had been a very long time ago that they’d been lovers and it had only been a brief relationship that hadn’t lasted more than six months.
‘I love you, Jo, I’ve always loved you – but you would never let me close enough to make it clear, and back then we were both so young. Then you got together with Heath and at first I thought it was okay, that I could cope because I was so busy being newly qualified and a junior partner in the practice. I didn’t have time to be lovesick so I let you get on with it, even though deep down I was broken-hearted. I did marry eventually, years later, but she was never you and she left me three years ago for a lawyer, would you believe it? Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I can’t stand watching you shrink into yourself any more – you were always so loud and funny. So kind and caring, not to mention passionate. I’ll help you to get away from him. I promise you I won’t let you down.’
She didn’t know what to say. She had never in a million years expected this when she left the house an hour ago to buy some eggs.
‘What about the scandal? Won’t it hurt your practice?’
‘This lot in the village get excited about a missing dog, so yes there might be a bit of gossip, but nothing that either of us can’t handle and with the discovery of those remains I’m pretty sure we won’t be in the limelight for very long. Come on, Jo, what do you say – I’d love to see the woman I fell in love with all those years ago find herself again.’
He had hold of her hand and was now kneeling in front of her. She forced herself to look into his dark brown eyes and nodded.
‘I can’t just up and leave right this minute. I need to go back and get some things together. He’s been so preoccupied lately that he might not even notice what I’m doing. As soon as he locks himself into his studio I’ll ring you to come and get me. I’m not telling him anything. I’ll just pack an overnight bag.’
For the first time in over ten years she felt a spark of hope, that her life might just be about to change for the better. Paul grinned, then bent down to kiss her cheek.
‘I think you’ve just made a very wise decision. I have some holidays booked for the end of next week so we can get away. I was just going to stay here and sort the garden out but we could go anywhere you like – and for now I’m more than happy to be friends. I don’t expect you to jump into bed with me; I just want to help you get your life back.’
This time the tears did fall but they were tears of hope and joy – the thought of being her own person and free was almost too much to believe. She couldn’t wait to tell Annie; she’d known from the moment they’d met that Annie knew a kindred soul when she met one. Jo had also known that they would become great frie
nds, and to think that she would be able to visit her whenever she wanted without the shadow of Heath looming over her made her smile even more. She stood up and hugged Paul.
‘Thank you so much. I’m just checking – you do realise that he won’t let me go without a fight, don’t you?’
‘Yes, I do, but nothing would give me greater pleasure than to dish out everything that he deserves. Of course I would only resort to violence if I had to. I was never the fighting kind, but I do have a good left hook.’
He winked and Jo pulled away.
‘I’d better get back now because I’ve already been far too long. I don’t want him to suspect anything.’
He crossed to the desk in the corner of the room and picked up a mobile phone, handing it to her.
‘I bought this after the last time I spoke with you because I was so worried. It’s only a cheap, unregistered pay-as-you-go but I’ve topped it up and programmed my number and the police’s into it. Keep it hidden from him and if you need me then ring me. I’ll be here. Oh, and leave it on silent so he doesn’t know about it.’
‘Thank you so much – I will.’
She tucked it into her pocket – that small bundle of black plastic was the lifeline to her new life and she would never let it go, or let Heath find it. She made her way to the front door and picked up the bag with what was left of her groceries inside. Too excited at the prospect of finally being able to get away from him, she never thought to bin that bag then go back and replace the damaged contents.
Chapter 26
Jake had taken it upon himself to check the CCTV cameras at the main bus stop in Bowness to see if Annie’s niece had got off the bus at any point yesterday from when she left her house until the time Ben had reported her missing. He was sitting with a bottle of diet Coke and a huge tuna salad, because his normally kind and caring husband, Alex, had hinted that his sleek, toned six-pack was turning into a slightly flabby eight-pack. Jake had spent twenty minutes this morning looking at his reflection in the mirror after his shower. He’d always been slightly vain; he couldn’t help it that he’d been blessed with thick, black hair and good looks. Since Alice had come into their lives the gym had become far less appealing; instead he’d rush home from work to spend time with her and Alex, who was lucky enough to work from home so they didn’t need full-time childcare. It wasn’t his fault he had a huge appetite; he liked food. He wondered how Annie was – she was always on a diet; she’d be able to lend him some of her slimming books. In fact he would drive through to see her as soon as he’d watched this last bit of film. He was up to almost seven p.m. and hadn’t seen anyone that even resembled Tilly getting off the bus – with her long, black hair, she was quite easy to identify. There was no way she had come to Bowness on the bus. The phone on his desk began to ring and he answered it to a breathless Smithy.
