by Jack Probyn
‘How reliable is the intelligence?’ Liam asked as they hopped in.
‘That’s open to interpretation, guv,’ Jake replied. ‘Lester used an agency when he killed Jessica-Anne. Diamond Geezers – the same as Archie Arnold. I noticed they had tattoos on their wrists that were almost identical.’
‘Maybe they were really close friends,’ Liam said. Jake was unsure whether it was intended as a joke or a legitimate suggestion.
Either way, he chose to ignore it. He continued. ‘But this time I got a call from another agency, Rough and Tough, saying that someone had requested a prostitute meeting Lester’s specific requirements. It’s too much of a coincidence for them not to be related. I can’t imagine they’re in the position to be making prank calls to the police.’
‘You’d better hope not.’ Liam thrust the key in the ignition and started the engine. ‘What’s the address?’
Jake gave it to him and watched Liam plug it into the satnav. The device’s screen turned black and then switched to a street-view map of east London. Their destination appeared as a small red pin less than half a mile away. According to the device, it would take them five minutes to get there through all the traffic. That was too long.
As they bombed it to the other end of Colegrave Road, bouncing over speed bumps and potholes, Jake redialled the mysterious number.
‘It’s me,’ he said. ‘What’s the girl’s number? We need to tell her not to go into the house.’
‘I can do it,’ the Eastern European voice on the other end said.
‘No,’ Jake replied. ‘This is a police investigation. I might remind you of that. You’ve been more than helpful.’
A silence ensued.
‘Pen and paper,’ the gruff voice said.
Jake grabbed Liam’s phone from the centre console, unlocked it and entered the prostitute’s number.
‘She’ll be there by ten, yes?’
‘Yes. Maybe just before.’
Jake’s eyes glanced towards the dashboard clock.
‘It’ll be tight. We’ll get there as soon as we can.’ Jake hung up and looked at Liam. ‘It’ll be cutting it fine. She’s due at the house by ten.’
‘Our ETA says 10:03 p.m.’
‘Reckon we can shave off three minutes?’
‘We can die trying.’
Liam floored the accelerator and propelled the car forward, throwing Jake deeper into his seat. His hand launched towards the holder above his head by the passenger window, and his knuckles whitened.
As they sped along the A112, Jake dialled the prostitute’s number.
CHAPTER 75
BATHROOM
‘Is this it, love?’ the man in the driver’s seat asked.
‘Yeah. Here’ll be fine thanks,’ she replied.
‘You sure? I don’t mind dropping you off right outside.’
‘It’s fine. Here’ll do.’ She made it a custom to always get out near her next appointment but never directly outside. It was a superstition of hers that had stuck. That way nobody knew where she was going, just in case she was being followed. She’d had a stalker once, and that was enough for her to triple-check every time she went to visit a client – old or new.
‘You’re the boss,’ the cabbie said, pulling to the side of the road.
She reached into her purse for the twenty quid it had cost her, leant forward and handed it to the driver.
‘Pleasure doing business with you…?’
‘Jessica,’ she said.
The cabbie gave her a wink as she left the car and her skin crawled. She hated creepy old men. And she hoped her next client was someone younger, more mature, different to her other clientele. She didn’t know why, but she found that they always seemed to favour the younger girls. Perhaps it was a manifestation of a complex they’d developed in adult life.
She’d almost told the cabbie her real name – Jennifer. But she’d stopped herself when realised that tonight, she was Jessica. That had been the client’s specific requirement. Dimitri was insistent upon that point. No matter what, her name was Jessica.
It should have sounded odd to her, but it didn’t. It wasn’t the first time she’d had an unusual request. In her experience, she’d seen the darker side of human nature and, specifically, men. When it came to sex, there was a completely different side to them. Animalistic. Ritualistic. Sometimes it frightened her. Sometimes it didn’t. It was all part and parcel of the job; something she’d come to accept over the years.
Jessica idled along the street, her high heels clacking on the pavement. She held a clutch bag under her arm that carried the essentials: her purse, phone, house keys and several condoms. It was a rule of hers to check over all her clients before she engaged in any physical activity with them. It was for both their benefit and made good business sense – the less likely she was to catch something, the more clients she could have, and the more money she could make.
As she walked, she adjusted her thong to stop it riding up. She was wearing her favourite underwear, after her boss had told her this was a very special client. He had particular requirements and was prepared to pay the top price for them. And she was more than happy to reward him for it.
She checked the address on her phone and counted down the house numbers.
When she finally saw the door emblazoned 126, she hurried towards it and rattled her knuckles against one of the wooden panels.
As she waited, her phone rang. She glanced at the screen, realised it was an unknown number and ignored it. She was working; it was unprofessional to accept calls. The front door opened as soon as the phone was back in her clutch bag.
‘Jessica?’ came a soft voice. It was endearing and sounded almost afraid. Like this was her client’s first time.
The door opened wider and revealed to her the man she would be spending the next hour or two with. He was dressed in shorts but was missing an item of clothing on his top half, revealing a surprisingly well-sculpted body. She estimated that he was in his mid-forties, and he was looking good for it. He clearly took care of himself. His face was relatively handsome – acceptable, considering she would have her eyes closed for most of it anyway – and she didn’t get the impression that he was a creep.
‘And what do I call you?’ she said, after realising that she’d spent a considerable amount of time staring at his face.
‘You can call me Steven,’ he said, stepping aside. ‘Please come in. You must be getting cold. And wet.’
Steven closed the door behind her and took her hand. It was warm and soft, and slightly damp. A smell of shower gel and shampoo lingered in the air and enlightened her senses.
‘Hope you don’t mind,’ she began. ‘I’m a little early.’
‘Not at all. Not at all.’
‘Nice place you have here,’ she said, observing her surroundings.
Steven smiled, disappeared into the kitchen and returned with two wine glasses and a bottle in his hand. ‘I hope you like red?’
‘Are you trying to get me drunk?’ she said before giggling playfully. She didn’t know what was coming over her. She was never usually like this; it was always ‘get straight in, and then out again’. But there was something about this man that was different. Perhaps it was his charm. Perhaps it was the disarming smile. Or perhaps it was because he came across as so sweet and innocent that she almost felt sorry him.
‘Perhaps I am.’ He blushed. ‘What will you do to me as a punishment?’
Jessica flicked her eyes at him. ‘Whatever you want me to.’
‘I was hoping you’d say that.’ He hesitated. ‘You know, I was round someone’s house recently, and they didn’t even give me a tour. Would you like one?’
Jessica looked up and down the stairwell. ‘I don’t see what harm it could do. So long as you’re quick. I’m hungry.’ She winked at him.
‘Right this way then.’
Steven poured the wine into their glasses, handed Jessica hers then led her into the living room before showing her the
kitchen. It wasn’t anything special. It had all the utilities and the amenities that she had in her own kitchen. It was the same with the rest of the house – a small office, an airing cupboard, a bathroom. None of it was that spectacular. After the sheer number of houses she’d seen, the novelty of them wore off after a while – eventually they all began to look the same.
Finally, Steven showed her the bedroom.
‘You ready?’ he asked, standing with his hand wrapped around the door handle.
She nodded.
As Steven opened the door, her phone vibrated again. She quickly looked at the Caller ID and hung up on it.
‘Someone important?’ Steven asked, his demeanour changing slightly. He became more rigid, concerned.
‘My manager. He likes to make sure I get to my appointments OK.’
‘That’s cute,’ he said. ‘You can take it if you like?’
‘No, no. It’s fine. I’m a big girl. I can look after myself.’
Steven smirked again, bearing his white teeth. ‘Do you get a lot of clients?’
‘I have my fair share.’
‘Have you had anyone like me before?’
She moved closer to him, pulling her skirt higher up her thigh. Inches separated them, and then she placed her arm on his shoulder and moved it down to his chest.
‘Darling, I’ve never had a client like you before,’ she said.
Steven pressed the handle and opened the door. A wall of red hit her in the face, and from the outside, she saw a series of whips and chains and sex toys on the wall and on the bed.
‘There’s a first time for everything,’ Steven said, and before Jessica could react, he grabbed her elbow and nudged her into the room.
Her senses were on high alert. She’d never experienced anything sadistic or even masochistic in her life. Other clients’ fantasies had been tame, reserved – usually involving the feet or putting her in awkward positions. Never anything like this. Never this perverse. Jessica sensed this was going to change her sex life forever. And, right now, standing a few feet away from the instruments, she didn’t know whether it would be for better or worse.
Lester closed the door. The room darkened a deeper shade of red. ‘What do you think?’ He held his glass in the air.
‘I… I…’
‘Speechless. I thought you might be. Please make yourself comfortable. We have a long night ahead of us.’
‘Ah, yes,’ Jessica said. ‘About that—’
Lester reached into the bedside-table drawer and produced a wad of money.
‘I know – you want the money upfront. That’s fine.’
He handed it to her; this was her favourite part of the job.
‘That’s for the first few hours. There’s a little extra than your usual rate. And there’s plenty more where that came from, depending on how long our evening together lasts.’
Jessica placed the money in her bag. ‘I hope for your sake it lasts a long time.’
Lester set his glass on the table. ‘I’m going to introduce you to a world of pain and pleasure – one of the deadliest combinations ever experienced.’
‘I can’t wait—’
Jessica’s phone started ringing again. Lester’s face fell. His brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed.
‘Sorry,’ Jessica said, feeling slightly intimidated. ‘It’s my boss again. I should probably take it. Just to get rid of him.’
‘Fine. But be quick,’ Steven snapped. His entire demeanour had turned sour.
Jessica rushed out of the bedroom and headed into the bathroom, where she pulled the door to and sat on the toilet seat.
‘Hello?’
‘Jennifer – this is Detective Constable Jake Tanner from the police. Act normal.’
She paused a second, taking in the instruction. ‘Oh, eh… hi, babe. You all right?’
‘The man you are currently with is incredibly dangerous.’
‘Yeah, yeah. Everything’s fine.’ Jessica hopped off the seat and tip-toed closer to the door. ‘I got here all right, although the cabbie was trying to flirt with me on the way down.’
‘You have to keep as far away from him as possible.’
Holding her breath, she cautiously slid the bolt into position. She exhaled heavily as she heard it lock.
‘Are you in a safe place?’
‘I don’t know how long I’ll be,’ she said. ‘I’ve just popped to the toilet before we begin.’
‘We’re on our way, Jessica. You have to stay out of sight and make sure he doesn’t come anywhere near you.’
‘I think you’re going to have to cancel my other clients for tonight.’ She spoke loudly, in case Steven was eavesdropping outside the bathroom. ‘I’ve got a feeling this is going to last all night. He’s even got toys and weapons for us to use…. No – I’ve never tried them before either.’
‘Just hold on tight, OK,’ Jake said. ‘We’re one minute away.’
‘Don’t worry, babe. I’ll be safe. I’ve been in this business long enough to know what I’m doing.’
Jessica hung up the phone. Her body had been running on adrenaline throughout the entire conversation, and now that it was over, it completely disappeared. Her body froze in shock, and her mind dissociated itself from everything. She wanted to breathe, but couldn’t. She wanted to move, but couldn’t. She wanted to scream and run away and wish that she’d never come here, but couldn’t.
Her hand loosened its grip on the phone, dropping it to the floor. It smashed on the solid tile flooring. Splinters of glass ricocheted into the air and bounced off her leg. Jessica let out a small gasp and bent down to pick it up.
Within a split second, there was a knock on the door.
‘Is everything all right in there?’ Steven asked. She could almost feel his breath on her, crawling up her neck, moving around her ear to the side of her face.
‘I’m fine!’ she shouted. ‘Fine. Fine. I j-just dr-dropped my phone, that’s all.’ She stood, reached into her bag and found a small lipstick and mascara. Her hands shook violently. ‘I won’t be long – I’m just adding s-some make-up.’
Silence. She thought she’d heard his footsteps moving away from the door, but over the deafening sound of her heart and frantic breath, she couldn’t be sure. She undid the cap on her lipstick and pressed the stick to her lips. Her hands continued to shake uncontrollably, smearing the red wax over her mouth.
She paused and froze. Slowly, her head turned towards the door. The thin line of light that ran along the bottom of it distorted and changed. Now there were two dark shadows a few inches wide. He was standing on the other side. He was there, ready, waiting.
It didn’t bear thinking about. He’d been so calm and reserved yet quietly confident. He had seemed charming and charismatic – and good-looking!
She remained perfectly still and strained her hearing. Steven’s breathing had increased, and with every passing second it was becoming heavier, and heavier, and heavier, until it turned into a hollow growl.
‘What are you doing in there?’ Steven asked, his voice deeper than the darkest depths of the ocean.
‘I–I…’ Jessica stuttered.
‘Have you heard the story of the three little pigs?’
Before Jessica could answer, a loud bang shocked her into falling backward onto the toilet. A piece of the door caved in, revealing a slither of light coming from the landing.
The sound was followed by another bang.
And then another.
And then another.
And then Jessica saw it. The hammer, and the mountain of evil in her client’s eyes. He repeatedly bashed down the door, sending pieces of woodchip and plastic into the bathroom. Jessica crawled over the bathtub and cowered in a foetal position, hoping it would protect her. She tried to scream, but her lungs wouldn’t function.
A few seconds later, Steven threw his arm through the gap he’d created in the door and turned the handle.
CHAPTER 76
HISTORY
‘Get out! Get out! Get out!’ Jake screamed as the Liam skidded the car to a halt and the tyres finished kissing the pavement.
Liam and Jake were the first to arrive, followed immediately by Drew and Garrison and a convoy of firearms officers in the back of a white, unmarked armed response vehicle.
Jake leapt out of the car and sprinted towards the house. Screams and shouts came from the armed officers behind him, ordering him to stand aside and move out of the way. It was procedure for the AFOs – authorised firearms officers – to enter and clear the area first so that he and the rest of the team could inspect the damage. Panicked by their loud voices, Jake jumped to one side and allowed the members of SO19 to pass. Each member of the team was clad in Kevlar vests, helmets and carried a SIG MCX 556 Carbine in their arms. All of their sights were trained on the house.
They fanned out either side of the front door. One of them – the furthest on the right – shuffled towards the door. In his hand he held an Enforcer. On the count of three, he swung the ram into the door and buckled it, splintering the lock into a dozen pieces.
‘Armed police! Armed police!’ they screamed as the rest of the team fell into the house, spreading across the width of the property.
As soon as they were in, Jake entered behind them. Something in his mind had forgotten the procedures. He didn’t care if he was supposed to wait for the all-clear. Rules weren’t important right now. His only focus was on saving the victim’s life. On the phone she’d sounded distressed and afraid, and as soon as she’d told him she was in the bathroom, Jake had grown worried.
He rushed up the stairs. As he climbed the steps, he listened for any signs of Jennifer screaming – any sign that she was still alive amidst the shouts and chaos coming from the armed officers.
There were none.
The stairs twisted left, and as he came to the top step, he froze. The bathroom. Lester. Half-naked. Standing over Jennifer’s body. Holding a hammer in his hand. Blood gushing from her head.
