Gina tipped the glass of water into her lap as the phone’s ringing brought her out of her nightmare. She grabbed the lit-up phone. ‘Jacob. What have you got?’ She placed her hand on her chest hoping that her heart would calm down. Glancing around the dark room, the moon shone a beam against the main wall through her open curtains. There was no cleaver-wielding Hetty chasing her. She was safe, alone and in her living room. Ebony jumped onto the settee and changed her mind about nestling into Gina’s lap when she realised it was soaking wet. ‘Damn!’
‘You okay, guv?’
‘Yes. I fell asleep holding a glass of water and now I’ve poured it all over myself. What an idiot.’ She grabbed the snuggle blanket that had slipped off her knees and mopped up what she could as she balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder. ‘What you got?’
‘The panic button has just been pressed over at Lilly and Brendan Hill’s residence. Uniform are on their way over. They let us know as soon as the call came in. Did you want to head over? I can meet you there?’
She threw the blanket to the floor. ‘I’m on my way.’ She ran up the stairs for a quick wash and change, yawning as she ran her fingers through her hair. She glanced at the shower, almost gutted at not having time to soak under a flow of warm water to properly wake herself up.
Grappling with the closest pair of trousers and a light V-neck jumper, she checked her appearance once before running out of the door. An image flashed through her mind. The eyes in her dream before the mask had been lifted wouldn’t leave her alone. The slight crinkle to the corners as the assailant smiled behind the mask, and the way he – it was a he – the way his brows raised as he spoke. It couldn’t be. She knew exactly who that drunk driver in Wales reminded her of and he had a lot of explaining to do.
Chapter Fifty-Six
Shaking his arm several times, he managed to ease his battered muscles. He hadn’t banked on her grabbing him the way she had. She was definitely stronger than Frannie. Unrolling the scarf from around his mouth and nose, he dropped it to the floor. Not the best disguise but with his oversized hood, a lot was concealed. Mummy bridesmaid would keep. That was his nickname for Lilly.
He removed the hoodie and grabbed the phone off the side. It wasn’t his phone. He’d never be seen dead with a purple diamanté case and a screensaver of a dog wearing a crown. The messages on the phone had been interesting; they’d definitely brought a smile to his face. That poor desperate girl certainly was a needy one but he’d seen that in her already. As he followed her the other night from Lilly’s house, he sensed her tension, but she had interrupted his plans. The odd bang of a fence panel here, the throwing of a stone there. That’s why she’d started to run although he had to chuckle, she wasn’t good at running. He’d go as far as to say, he thought she was flat-footed and her moves reminded him of a duck trying to balance on a frozen pond.
Her pitiful life was worthless. She wasn’t his type, not like Holly or Frannie but they all looked the same when they went purple while being gripped around the jugular.
The chair below screeched across the tiled floor. The woman in the cellar had woken up.
He pressed send on the message.
I’m so sorry about earlier. Everything has been getting to me. I shouldn’t have cut you off like that. Forgive me. I’ll message you tomorrow. I promise. K. Xxx
And he would. He wouldn’t leave her wondering if a message would come but he had to get this right. This wasn’t for him; tomorrow he would share this pleasure with another. Someone who deserved the gift he was about to give them.
He smiled as he read her message.
I totally understand and I just want to help you, as friends do. Message me tomorrow and we’ll talk or we can talk now if you want. I’m always here for you. Shall I call? C. Xxx
His new friend had responded in exactly the same way as he had messaged. Three kisses and an initial. She trusted him. He smiled as a fuzzy feeling washed through his body. Trust – given far too easily once again. She trusted a message on a phone sent by someone she couldn’t hear or see.
I’m a bit tired at the moment but I’d love to talk tomorrow. Can’t wait. Take care and sleep well. K. Xxx.
He turned the phone off and placed it into his pocket. Again, there was a scraping noise coming from the cellar. There was something far more important that he needed to attend to and she was waiting exactly where he’d left her. He kicked the hoodie out of the way and opened the door to the cellar.
Tomorrow, he will have his answer. Who was he coming for? Only one of them would be the lucky winner. Time was ticking and he had a new life waiting for him.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Gina pulled up behind the police car on the road beside Lilly and Brendan Hill’s house. A couple of lights were on despite the hour and a woman cradling a baby let go of her curtain when Gina glanced her way. She hurried to the door and knocked. Lilly answered, her hair scooped messily into a topknot. ‘Come in. The police are just talking to Brendan in the lounge.’
‘Thank you.’ Gina stepped into the hallway and followed Lilly into the lounge. Jacob smiled as she sat in the same seat as she’d sat on last time she’d spoken to Lilly Hill. She glanced around the room. PC Kapoor had just finished making notes and was ending her talk with Brendan. The man stood and pulled the back of his T-shirt out of his checked lounge pants. Lilly tied the belt of her dressing gown that covered her blue pyjamas. Gina smiled at PC Kapoor. ‘Can I just have a quick word?’
The young officer nodded and followed her into the kitchen as Jacob continued speaking to the Hills.
‘I thought I’d ask you what happened before speaking to Mrs Hill.’
In a squeaky half whisper, Kapoor began to relay what she’d been told with added hand movements for emphasis. ‘When I got here, guv, Mrs Hill was a bit shaken. She has a grazed wrist. As she went to open the back door, she fell into the wall and scraped her arm. She said the intruder grabbed her from behind by the hood of her dressing gown and placed his hand over her mouth. She managed to wriggle free and scream. She thinks she scared him off as he ran away at that point.’
‘What time was this?’
Kapoor glanced at her notes and her black eyebrows arched. ‘About one thirty. She said she was in the garden, alone, and she heard a noise coming from behind the gate. She then saw the gate open so she ran. The intruder chased her into her garden.’
‘Do we have a description?’
She scrunched her nose and shook her head. ‘Not really. The intruder was wearing a black hoodie and gloves. That’s all she saw. She said it happened too quickly.’
‘Would you call forensics while I sit with Mrs Hill? Has anyone been in the garden since the attack?’
‘PC Smith is still out there looking but we saw no one when we checked. Just us. Lilly and Brendan Hill haven’t been outside since the incident.’
Gina hoped they hadn’t trampled any evidence but she knew that they’d have to go out and check to see if the intruder was still around. The security light flashed on in the garden seconds before Smith entered through the back door. ‘Alright, guv. Definitely no one out there now. I’ve walked through two streets and there’s not a soul around.’