As she headed to her target destination, Alex savoured the experience, safe in the knowledge that she wouldn’t be trudging these soulless hallways for much longer.
Her plan was coming together nicely – just a couple more hours to wait and one more thing to do.
‘Hey, Lisa,’ she said, stepping into the cell of the young woman she’d spoken with a couple of days earlier. This time there was no attempt to force a cheerful expression onto her face. This time she aimed for a mixture of sadness and concern.
‘How are you doing?’ she asked, sitting on the other bed. She could see for herself that the girl wasn’t doing well. She appeared even thinner than the last time. She hadn’t showered, and her eyes were red-rimmed and heavy.
‘Shit, Alex. I don’t think I can take much more.’
‘Hey, you’re stronger than you think,’ she said, reaching into her pocket for the item she’d been hiding for weeks. The one that had cost her more than a meal at The Ivy. ‘I brought you this to cheer you up.’
She took the disposable razor and placed it next to Lisa on the bed. ‘Smooth legs always make you feel better.’
Lisa closed her hand around it. ‘Where did you get this?’
Alex shrugged as Lisa placed it under her pillow. ‘Someone owed me a favour, and I thought you’d appreciate it.’
‘Thanks,’ she said, trying to be upbeat. She failed miserably. That was good.
‘That man of yours been in yet?’ Alex asked.
Lisa shook her head.
‘How long is that now?’
‘Three weeks but he’s been working a lot.’
‘Even at weekends?’ Alex asked doubtfully. ‘Some bosses are bastards, aren’t they? Does he work at some kind of twenty-four-hour place or something?’
‘He’s a landscaper, self-employed.’
‘Oh,’ Alex said. She was pretty sure they didn’t work all weekend, and if he was the boss, he could certainly give himself a couple of hours off here and there, but there was no need to state it. She’d done enough to put the thought there.
‘Is he coming this weekend?’ Alex asked brightly.
‘Can’t get him to ask him. He’s not answering his phone.’
‘I’m sure there’s an innocent reason for that.’
Just one word. Subtle. Put the word out there, plant the thought. Give it time to grow.
‘Good gardeners are always busy. I had a really good one. Couldn’t do enough for his customers. Used to come to trim the hedges but ended up mowing the lawn and jet washing the slabs. Sometimes he’d be there all day.’ She smiled and rolled her eyes. ‘I didn’t half learn a lot about his home life: cheating missus, rebellious kids, the lot. Gardeners are good guys,’ she said with a smile.
‘He could be up to anything while I’m in here,’ Lisa said, scratching at the skin between her thumb and her forefinger.
‘Of course he could.’ She paused. ‘But you can’t think like that. You’ve got to trust him. It’s not like he’s cheated on you before.’
Her face fell further. ‘He did once, about a year ago. He got drunk and had a one-night stand.’
‘Well, at least he told you about it,’ Alex said.
‘His mate told me,’ she said, raking at that small area of skin.
‘Oh, okay,’ Alex said, appearing to be at a loss for words. ‘But that’s not to say he’s going to do it again. It was obviously just sex because you were—’
‘But I’m not there, am I? He doesn’t have me to come home to,’ she said as the tears sprang once more into her eyes. ‘For all I know he’s already met someone, and I’m not talking about just sex. What if he meets someone at work and it’s more than sex? What if he has another woman around my child? Another woman putting my baby to bed at night, singing to her, feeding her, rocking her back to sleep, calling her mum?’
Alex knew that picture had been playing over and over in her mind. It was her worst fear.
‘You can’t think like that. He’ll wait for you. A lot, I mean, some men are stronger than—’
‘But not all. He’s already done it once and now I’m not even there. I can’t bear these thoughts, these pictures in my head of other women around my child. It’s driving me insane, and the warden hasn’t come back to me about recommending early release.’
Alex knew Lisa had put everything into her extenuating circumstances appeal. She’d had a meeting with Warden Siviter a week ago. It was her final bullet.
‘Oh, you haven’t been told yet?’ she asked innocently.
‘You know something?’ Lisa asked as the scratching paused for just a second.
‘No… I mean… not… It’s just something.’
‘Tell me, Alex.’
‘No, I might have got it wrong.’
‘Just tell me what you know.’
Alex sighed heavily and hesitated while she saddled up the wild horses to drag it out of her mouth.
Remove all hope.
‘I just overheard a conversation. That’s why I came to see if you were okay with the news.’
‘What news?’
‘Oh, Lisa, I don’t want to—’
‘What news?’
‘The warden isn’t putting you forward. She thinks you’ll be refused.’
Alex hid her delight as she watched any hope fade away and the realisation that there was no escape. There would be no early release; her boyfriend would be out there all alone; her baby would be without her for years. Her boyfriend wouldn’t visit, and her child would forget all about her.
‘Lisa, I’m sorry. I thought you knew.’
She shook her head. ‘Doesn’t really matter, does it? Nothing really matters anymore.’
Alex pushed herself up off the bed. Her work here was done. All that remained for her to do now was lay low and wait.
She reached the door and turned. Just a reminder.
‘I’ll try and get you another one of those shavers. That’ll cheer you up.’
Seventy-Six
Suzie Keene had been placed in interview room number two. Right next door to where Steven Harte sat with his lawyer.
Kim took a seat opposite. ‘Thank you for coming in.’
‘I didn’t feel I had much of a choice when a squad car rolled up to my place of work.’
‘My apologies, but due to the urgent nature of our enquiries, it was the quickest way to get you here.’
‘I’m not sure why. I’ve already told you I can’t remember anything that will—’
‘Is this the room where you were held captive?’ Kim asked, taking out the mobile phone.
Suzie hesitated before looking at the still photo Penn had taken of the empty room while Grace had visited the bathroom.
She stared at it for a full minute before uttering a word.
Kim watched her closely as a multitude of emotions flitted across her face. Recognition, sadness and realisation. Perhaps the penny had dropped about how she’d furnished, arranged and decorated her own daughter’s room.
‘I… I think so. It looks the same, exactly the same, except…’