Death Trap: Rosie Gilmour 8

by Anna Smith

  Silence.

  ‘Rosie. If you’re doing anything like that, you really should have given us the tip first. Christ’s sake! You need to watch yourself.’

  ‘I’m okay. I’ve got back-up.’

  Don was quiet for a moment as he registered the information.

  ‘Not sure I like the sound of that. Call me as soon as you can.’

  ‘Sure.’ Rosie hung up.

  *

  By the time they got back, the town was beginning to fill with people. Stalls were being set up along the main drag, and traffic was building in the car parks. Rosie had spoken to her local paper contact who gave her an idea where the dogfights were, at a piece of waste ground close to the town centre, in a disused scrapyard. They took Adrian with them to do a recce of the yard, but it was padlocked.

  They sat outside a coffee shop watching the bustle of the town. Rosie felt a wave of exhaustion. She was listening to Matt and Adrian talking, but was miles away.

  ‘Rosie,’ Adrian said. ‘You are daydreaming?’

  She glanced at him from behind her dark glasses and met his eyes smiling, and for a moment wished they were here together just the two of them, relaxing over coffee on a trip without any strings or problems. But life wasn’t like that. She snapped back to the moment.

  ‘I’m a bit tired. I never sleep much when I’m on jobs like this. Kind of like being fired on adrenalin all the time. There comes a time when I’m running on empty, but don’t worry, I’m not quite there yet. Right. So let’s think of a plan? We can’t really do much til we see if these guys come back into town.’

  ‘I think they will. They go to the markets in the morning, do some business, and they told me they would be in that bar again by late afternoon.’

  ‘What if they invite you to the dogfight, Adrian?’

  He shrugged. ‘Then I should go.’

  ‘Will they invite us? You could say we are your new friends, and we’re heading away in the morning. That we’re not a threat or anything.’

  He thought for a moment. ‘Maybe. We’ll see.’

  ‘If that Timmy is with them today, then I need to snatch a pic of him,’ Matt said.

  ‘Yeah,’ Rosie agreed. ‘But I don’t see much chance of getting any kind of word with him without being lynched, so we might have to settle for a picture.’

  *

  By late afternoon, Rosie and Matt were packed up and heading to join Adrian in the bar where they’d been last night. They’d decided that whatever happened, they had to be ready to leave town tonight. There wasn’t much point in hanging around for another night if they could get a picture of Timmy. It wasn’t what she’d hoped for, she’d hoped there was a chance she could get hold of him without getting lynched, but that wasn’t going to happen in the kind of company he kept. McGuire had already been on the phone telling her to get it done and head for home.

  When they got into the bar, Adrian was on his own, drinking tea.

  ‘I saw one of the men from last night,’ he said quietly. ‘They are coming for a drink. They said they were going to a cafe for some fish and chips and then coming here. He offered me some work again. So I said we could meet for a drink, but I was seeing my friends before they went away tomorrow.’

  ‘Good stuff, Adrian,’ Rosie said, as she waved the waitress over. ‘I’m well impressed by the way you can convince people.’

  ‘I think the less that is said, the better. If you don’t say too much, you don’t give the game away.’

  Rosie smiled, glanced at him.

  ‘Yes, we noticed.’

  ‘I get scared when you go all silent, Adrian,’ Matt said.

  Adrian sniffed. ‘You’re a funny guy, Matt. Always saying you are scared, but you are not. You are very brave. I remember Morocco and Kosovo.’

  ‘I was shitting myself all the time,’ Matt replied.

  ‘Maybe. But you didn’t give up. You got your pictures. Always.’

  Rosie looked up as the waitress came with their tea and saw the guys coming in through the door. Timmy was with them.

  ‘Your mates have arrived, Adrian.’

  The bar was already busy with late afternoon diners, tables being wiped and a constant flow of food. Rosie and Matt ordered burgers and chips; Adrian said he’d eaten a sandwich earlier. One of the big men noticed him and called him over. He said nothing, just got up and went across to the bar. Rosie turned to Matt.

  ‘We need to get a picture of Timmy, but it’s going to be difficult in here.’

  Matt stood up. ‘I’m going to the car to get set up with my camera stuff. I’ll put the secret one on my jacket and go up to the bar for a drink, but I’ll also need to get a better one. So I might try something.’

  ‘Try what?’

  ‘Not sure yet. I’ll let you know.’

  Rosie watched the conversation at the bar as Matt left and she hoped Adrian wasn’t getting himself in too deep. She knew he would push things to the limit, believing he could handle himself, but these were hard men. For the moment the conversation seemed good-natured and every now and then the man who seemed to be the leader of the pack leaned in conspiratorially. Matt came back and sat down.

  ‘Right, here’s the plan, Rosie.’

  She looked at him, waiting.

  ‘Okay. You’re my girlfriend and I’m going to take some pictures of you and you can take one or two of me, while we’re sitting here. We’ll just act all lovey-dovey and stuff. So don’t be flinching at anything I might do in the next few minutes. In fact, you might even enjoy it.’

  ‘Aye, right, Matt. Just don’t get all cocky.’

  ‘Give me your hand.’

  Rosie couldn’t help smiling as she held out her hand. He pulled his chair closer to her and ran his hand through her hair. Rosie glanced up and could see Adrian clock the movement. Then Matt let her go and leaned back, taking pictures one after the other. He handed her the camera.

  ‘Now you take a couple of me.’

  Rosie got up and took some pictures. This went on, one of him, of her.

  ‘Okay, now I want you to stand up where the light is coming in the window. If you’re in the right place then I can also get a pic where Timmy is in the edge of it. We’ll only have one shot at this, so we have to be fast.’

  Rosie got up and stood nearer the window. He took the picture and she sat down. The travellers at the bar didn’t seem any the wiser, but Adrian was watching every move.

  ‘Got him,’ Matt said as she sat down. ‘It’s not the best image in the world, but it’ll do if we don’t get anything else. In fact, I’m going to leave here as soon as we finish eating, stake this place out from across the road and get him when he leaves.’

  ‘Good idea. I’ll come with you and we’ll leave Adrian to it. We can see him when he comes out.’

  *

  It was nearly an hour later when Adrian came out of the bar first, the others following him except for the leader. She could see Adrian taking his mobile out of his pocket and making a call as he moved down the street a little and out of their sight. His number came up on her mobile.

  ‘Rosie. Listen. They have invited me to the dogfight, so I am going to go with them. I will go in their pickup truck, so you and Matt can follow me. But be careful.’

  ‘Do you think that’s a good idea, Adrian? I mean, just like that? So quickly? We don’t know how safe it is.’

  ‘It’s not safe. But I will be okay. I talked to the boy Timmy, and he told me the dogfight is exciting and lots of people win money. He holds the money when the betting starts. He talks like a big man, but he is shaking and sweating all the time.’

  ‘But we won’t be able to get into the dogfight, surely?’

  ‘No. Best not to. Just wait at the edge of it. Park the car somewhere close, so that when I come out we can drive away fast.’

  Rosie suddenly thought.

  ‘Listen. Can we stick a camera on you and you can video it?’

  ‘Yes, but you will have to be fast, because we are going
soon.’

  Rosie rang Matt and told him. He was at Adrian’s side in two minutes, and hid a camera in the pocket of Adrian’s shirt flap.

  ‘Okay, mate. Hope that works,’ he said.

  Adrian backed away.

  ‘Okay. Watch where I go. Don’t come after me, no matter what happens. But be ready to go.’

  *

  Half an hour had passed since Adrian had disappeared behind the big steel gates, dragged shut by two bouncers. From what they could see inside, it was a scrapyard with a huge barn. Rosie and Matt sat about fifty yards away in a lay-by and got out of the car, so that they could see cars going up and people arriving, the gates opening and closing. For something as secret as dogfighting it seemed to be fairly open, and Rosie assumed that unless you were one of their own, you wouldn’t dare turn up. As darkness began to fall, they could hear the shouts and roars from within, and the snarling and yelping of dogs and people roaring – cheering for whatever dog they’d backed.

  ‘I hope Adrian’s getting this on camera,’ Matt said.

  ‘I’m sure he will. But I hope he’s all right.’

  Now and again the gates opened and a punter came out, then they closed again. Rosie’s mobile rang. It was Adrian.

  ‘Rosie. Be ready in five minutes. Okay? I’ll be outside. We need to be quick.’

  Rosie turned to Matt. ‘It’s Adrian. He said to be ready, to be outside. Do you think it’s safe to take the car down there?’

  ‘We have to. As long as we’re sitting there ready to go, with the engine running. Come on. Let’s go.’

  They drove the car with the headlights off until they got outside the high gates. Inside, they could hear snarling and shouting, and shrieks from the punters. Then the gates suddenly opened a little and Adrian appeared, Timmy behind him. Adrian walked to the left a little as though to point something out to him. When Timmy followed, Adrian suddenly turned to him, quick as lightning, and punched him hard in the face. Then another two rapid blows, and Timmy collapsed. He’d been carrying a bag of something, and Adrian grabbed it and threw it away as he bent down and scooped Timmy up. He walked towards their car with the limp body of Timmy under his arm like a package.

  ‘Open the boot of your car, Matt.’

  ‘What? Fuck me, Adrian!’

  ‘Hurry. We don’t have time.’

  Rosie sat open-mouthed.

  ‘Hurry, Matt. Open it.’

  ‘Oh fuck!’ Matt said as the boot clicked open.

  They glanced at each other, wide-eyed, as they heard Timmy being clattered into the boot. Then the back door opened and Adrian threw himself in.

  ‘Let’s go. Quickly. Before they notice.’

  ‘Christ almighty, Adrian!’ Rosie said. ‘What we going to do with him? You’re kidnapping him.’

  ‘Is no problem. He is an evil man.’

  Rosie looked at Matt and knew they were both thinking the same thing – of the pervert in Morocco filming children for porn films. He too was bundled into the boot of a car by Adrian and he ended up at the foot of a very deep well in the scrubland. No great loss to the world. But this wasn’t Morocco – this was Blackpool. Jesus.

  As Matt’s wheels screeched in the dust and they took off, Rosie could see in the mirror the bag full of money, notes tumbling out, carried off in the breeze.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  By the time they were half an hour up the M6, there was no sign of anyone trying to pursue them. Matt kept his foot to the floor, and they were suddenly conscious that the loud banging from the boot had stopped.

  ‘Do you think he’s dead?’ Rosie said.

  ‘Don’t know,’ Matt said.

  ‘What the hell do we do now?’ Rosie turned to Adrian.

  ‘You are the boss. I thought you wanted to talk to him.’

  ‘Yes I do, but I wasn’t planning on kidnapping him.’ She was looking out of the windscreen at the landscape to see where they were. ‘How about we stop somewhere in the countryside and have a look at him?’

  ‘You planning to interview him?’ Matt asked.

  ‘Well, yes. If I can. But I also want to get him to Glasgow as soon as possible, and get the cops. They can deal with him.’ She saw a sign for Kendal. ‘Look, let’s pull off here. Maybe go a few miles into the Lake District. There are bound to be some quiet roads.’

  Matt took the exit and they drove on the slip road towards Kendal. After a few miles of twists and turns they were deep into the country. There was a clearing on a side road and he drove up and parked the car.

  ‘This secluded enough?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Rosie replied, opening her door. ‘Let’s get him out of the boot and see what happens.’

  As Matt pinged the boot open from the driver’s seat, Adrian and Rosie stood at the back of the car. When the hatch lifted, Timmy O’Dwyer shrank back, terror all over his bruised face.

  ‘Wha-what the fuck! What is this? Listen. Don’t kill me! Please . . . My da’s got money. He’ll pay whatever you want.’

  Rosie watched him squirm, trying to find a place in the boot to hide. Adrian reached across to him and he whimpered.

  ‘I haven’t done anything.’

  Rosie took a step forward and switched on her tape recorder.

  ‘That’s not true, Timmy.’

  ‘What?’ He glanced up at her, his eyes wild, terrified. ‘Who the fuck are you?’

  ‘Never mind that just now. But it’s not true to say you haven’t done anything, is it?’

  ‘What? What are you talking about?’

  ‘Those people in the grave at the field. That was you, wasn’t it? The woman and the baby. You killed your own baby, Timmy O’Dwyer. Your own child, you murderer.’

  His mouth dropped open. ‘Aw fuck! Are you cops?’

  ‘No. Not cops.’ Rosie went closer. ‘You stink, Timmy. You stink of fear and badness. How could you kill your own baby?’

  ‘I . . . I didn’t.’

  Adrian reached in and grabbed him by the neck, almost choking him as he lifted him out of the boot. Timmy’s legs buckled, but Adrian pushed him to his feet and punched him against the car. He punched him hard again in the face and Timmy spat blood as his body buckled. Adrian raised his hand to punch him again, but Rosie reached over and touched his arm as she met his eyes, full of anger. He stopped, mid blow.

  ‘Timmy.’ Rosie turned to him. ‘Look. We know all about you. The cops are about to come and get you, so there’s no point in lying. You’re finished. You’ll not see the outside of a jail cell for the next twenty years. I know what you’ve done and I know you told your father and your brother Finbar about the murder of Elsa and her baby.’

  Timmy suddenly perked up.

  ‘The fuckers!’ he muttered. ‘They grassed me up! My own family. I knew it when they sent me away. I knew they’d grass me.’

  Rosie knew she should stop right now and call the cops, but she couldn’t resist it.

  ‘Why did you do it? Why did you kill them?’

  He stood for a moment, his eyes wild, as though he was being confronted by an image he had tried to banish.

  ‘Ah fuck! She wanted money, so she did. I gave her some and she wanted more. She was blackmailing me, the cunt. Said she was going to tell me da and he would go mental.’

  ‘So you just killed her? And your baby?’

  His face began to break. ‘I . . . I didn’t mean to. I . . . I was drunk. Then – she pushed and pushed and I went crazy – I . . . I didn’t mean to.’

  ‘You killed them both. How can you say you didn’t mean to?’

  ‘Once I hit her and she fell down and banged her head, I had to do something to hide it all. What could I do? I couldn’t tell my da. I just went black. It was like everything went black. But I always knew they were there. It followed me around every day.’

  ‘What followed you? Are you saying you felt guilty? Ashamed?’

  ‘I don’t know. Just scared. I . . . I drink too much and I can’t control myself.’ He shook his head.

&n
bsp; ‘So is that what happened when you killed the young couple? The kids who were camping? Were you scared they’d got too close to your grave, scared they would find your secret?’

  Timmy started to whimper. ‘Oh please, I’m sorry. I . . . They . . . I just went mad. I was coming back from the pub and I saw the dog was digging. I only meant to kill the fucking dog, and then the guy comes out and I just kept hitting him. And then the girl.’

  ‘Christ!’

  Adrian dragged him away from the car.

  ‘Adrian. What are you doing?’

  He stopped. ‘Rosie. Let me deal with him.’

  She went after him.

  ‘Adrian! No. You can’t! We have to get the cops!’

  ‘He should not be alive, in prison, after what he did. He killed his own baby.’ He was choking Timmy, whose face was turning blue.

  ‘Adrian, stop!’ Rosie pulled his arm. ‘Please! Don’t do this! It’s not the answer! You cannot keep doing this! It won’t make it any better for you . . . Please, Adrian.’

  Timmy was on the verge of passing out, his eyes bulging, when Adrian let him drop to the ground. He looked at Rosie, his eyes full of anger, then turned away and walked towards the car. Rosie and Matt watched as Timmy lay on the ground, grunting and clutching his neck. She went over to Adrian where he stood lighting up a cigarette and drawing it deeply. He looked down at her.

  ‘I’m sorry, Rosie.’

  Rosie held his arm and squeezed it.

  ‘Come on. Let’s get him back in the boot. We’ll take him to Glasgow and hand him over. That’s all we have to do. Anything else is just wrong.’

  He looked at her for a long moment, his eyes hard and far away.

  ‘Everything is wrong, Rosie. All of it. Nothing will ever be right again.’

  ‘It will be as right as it can be, Adrian. We do the best we can, that’s all. Come on.’

  They stood for a moment, then Matt got into the car and started the engine. Adrian looked down at Timmy then lifted him up like a rag doll. He dumped him into the boot and slammed it shut.

  *

  As soon as Rosie saw the sign for Abingdon she punched in McGuire’s mobile number. She’d rejected his calls earlier, and knew that by this time he’d be ranting. He answered straight away.