Murder Club - Mark Pearson [99]
‘Who are you? Why are you doing this?’
‘Because I can.’
‘What do you want?’
‘You’ll find out soon enough. You and that sad fuck of a boyfriend of yours.’
‘What’s Jack got to do with this?’
‘He’s been a bad boy, Kate.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Jack’s been putting himself about. What’s up – now you’re pregnant, you don’t let him fuck you?’
There was an old street lamp at the end of the alleyway. It cast a warm yellow glow of light, but she could see heavy snowflakes falling in front of it. Could feel them in her long hair, chilling the cheeks on her face. She had no idea what the man was talking about. He was clearly insane, but if she could keep him talking maybe she could figure out a way to get help.
‘Has Jack done something to upset you?’
‘He’s been fucking the woman I’m going to marry.’ John Garland’s smile sent a shiver down Kate’s spine.
‘You must have made a mistake.’
‘No mistake. Last night he was at Stephanie’s house. She had her arms wrapped around him as he left. He’s been fucking her and now he’s going to pay.’
‘Jack was with me last night.’
‘I was there, watching.’
‘You’ve got the wrong end of the stick. She was scared. He was helping her.’
The man grunted. ‘Yeah. Just the kind of help I’m going to give you.’ He pulled her tight to him as they reached the end of the alleyway.
A church stood almost directly opposite, with a broader alleyway beside it. The snowflakes danced in the light of the old lamp post. Kate reckoned she was as far from Narnia as she could be, as she felt the blade jabbing in her right side.
‘Across the road now. Make the slightest noise and I’ll cut you right here.’
Kate walked across the road with him, her mind in turmoil. Light spilled through the cracks of the curtained windows on the apartments on the right-hand side of the alleyway. She blinked, not sure how much the moisture in her eyes was melted snow or how much was tears. As they passed the church, John Garland switched hands with the knife and pulled out a key.
‘Be prepared, that’s what the Scouts say, isn’t it? Well you can consider me a good Scout in that regard,’ he said as he led her up to the Seventeenth Roxborough’s Scout hut and turned the key in the lock.
Thoughts flashed through Kate’s mind. The dream she had of Siobhan being married. The daughters she was supposed to have with Jack. The baby that she was carrying. She thought about the thickness of the coat, how hard he would have to stab to penetrate it. She thought about the risks if she tried to escape. But the thought uppermost in her mind was that she was not going to be a victim. If she went into that Scout hut with that man, even if she survived if her baby was hurt, she would never forgive herself. She whispered a silent I love you to Jack Delaney and said, ‘I consider you a sick son-of-a-bitch and you can rot in fucking hell!’
John Garland stabbed at her with his knife as Kate reeled backwards, slamming against the wall of the hut and slid to the ground.
John Garland raised the blade above his head, then screamed as the door to the hut opened and Jack Delaney stabbed a screwdriver straight into his right eye.
69.
DI TONY HAMILTON yawned and pulled the car to the side of the road. He had seen enough snow and traffic to last a lifetime.
Emma Halliday opened her eyes and stretched. ‘This is my house,’ she said, having wiped her side-window.
‘I know.’
‘How are you going to get home?’
‘I figured I’d phone for a taxi.’
‘You’ll be lucky in this weather.’
‘I didn’t think you should drive.’
‘I’ll be fine now.’
‘Well … like you said it’s pretty foul out there.’
‘Why don’t you come in for a cup of coffee?’ she said.
‘I don’t drink coffee.’
Emma smiled. ‘That’s okay. I haven’t got any.’
‘In which case I’d love a cup.’
Laura Chilvers looked at her bedside clock. It was dark and the glow of the illuminated numbers helped her locate the button for Classic FM. She pushed it and the lush sounds of Mahler’s Third Symphony filled the room.
She closed her eyes and moaned as a hand cupped her right breast, her nipples