You Belong To Me: a psychological thriller with a brilliant twist Page 5
‘You’d forget your head if it wasn’t screwed onto your shoulders.’
‘Good job it is, then.’
‘Don’t blame me if he gets upset,’ Rose said. ‘You’ll just have to explain you forgot the eggs.’
‘Come on, let’s get you to the summerhouse.’
‘I hope the robin’s in the garden today. He’s been coming since your father died.’
Danny thought sixteen years was stretching it a bit for a bird. He held out his hands and helped her to her feet. She smelled of cigarettes and sorrow. They walked into the garden arm in arm. The summerhouse looked like a conservatory that had been severed from the house and plonked in the middle of the garden.
He waited for her to settle in a padded wicker chair and squeezed her shoulder. ‘I’ll make you a cup of tea.’
Rose smiled. There was a semblance of recognition in her eyes now. ‘That would be nice. And bring my cigarettes.’
He propped open the door with a footstool and went back to the house. He drank a glass of water, made his mother a mug of tea, grabbed her cigarettes and lighter off the table and returned to the summerhouse. ‘Make sure you drink it before it goes cold.’
Rose didn’t seem to hear him. ‘The birds speak to me sometimes.’
‘Really?’
‘Tell me stuff.’
Danny didn’t want to get drawn into her world. Not now. He needed to prepare himself for Stephen Chambers’ visit. ‘I’m just going back to the house.’
‘Why?’
‘To have a rest.’
‘Why?’
Danny sighed. ‘I’m tired.’
‘Think how poor Calum must feel working in the abattoir all day.’
My heart bleeds.
‘Slogging his guts out to keep a roof over our heads.’
If only you knew what that bastard was really like.
‘Have you seen him?’
Danny shook his head. He didn’t trust himself to speak. Not now, not ever, as far as Calum was concerned. By the time he got back in the house it was five to six. He needed the loo but didn’t dare risk going in case Chambers turned up. He made a coffee. Strong and black, three sugars. He opened the kitchen window to clear the smoke, then sat at the table drumming his fingers on the battered surface.
He told himself that seeing Chambers was no big deal. The only thing that mattered was what happened on Saturday. Then he would know for sure whether he would have to face this alone.
The kitchen clock crawled towards six. He stood up and checked out the window to make sure his mother was still in the summerhouse. Hadn’t set fire to it. All looked good for now.
Three minutes past six. The coffee seemed to antagonise his stomach. He tipped most of it down the sink, then went into the hall and sat on the stairs. Waited. Ten past six. Irritation set in. Where the fuck was Chambers? He didn’t have time to be messed around. He had his mother to take care of. Not to mention a million and one things to do.
The hall clock seemed to tick louder than usual, as if accentuating each passing second with relish. Two pictures either side of the mirror weren’t straight, and the mirror itself needed cleaning. The floor hoovering. If only his mother would take some of the burden off him. At least run the hoover round now and then. Stop burning sausages.
The doorbell rang. Danny jumped up. He told himself not to expect too much. His friends could be anywhere. Dead even. Chambers had promised to do his best. No guarantees. Just an agreed date and time to meet and pay the man for his services regardless of results. After that it was up to him.
Chambers grinned, revealing a row of even white teeth. ‘Hello, Mr Sheppard.’
Danny invited him in and offered him a seat at the kitchen table. ‘Coffee? Tea?’
‘I wouldn’t mind a glass of water.’
Danny took a bottle of water from the fridge and put it on the table. ‘How’d it go?’
Chambers uncapped the bottle and took a sip. ‘Very well.’
‘How many of them did you find?’
‘All of them.’
Danny’s heart heaved a sigh of relief. ‘How was Josh?’
‘A little the worse for wear, I’m afraid.’
Tears welled in Danny’s eyes. ‘What did he say?’
‘Not much.’
‘Did he read the letter?’
‘I just handed it to him and then left as agreed, Mr Sheppard.’
Danny hadn’t realised until this moment how much he’d missed Josh. Missed them all. ‘What about Rob?’
‘Same as the others.’
‘And Kieran?’
Chambers shrugged. ‘He seemed shocked when I mentioned your name. He’s got a nice little place down on the coast. Wouldn’t take the door off the chain, so I passed the letter through the gap in the door.’
‘Whereabouts on the coast?’
‘Portsmouth.’
Danny wondered how he’d ended up there. ‘He doesn’t even like water.’
‘You don’t have to swim in the sea just because you live by it.’
You can drown in it, though, Danny thought. ‘True.’
‘I don’t know why you wanted me to find these guys, Mr Sheppard. It’s none of my business. But something tells me you’re going to need to tread carefully.’
Danny pulled a roll of twenty-pound notes out of his pocket. He handed over the agreed two-thousand-pound fee. He wanted to tell Stephen Chambers that it was impossible to tread carefully when you were walking a tightrope wearing stiletto heels.
7
Cassie Rafferty’s throat felt like raw mince. She had no idea how long she’d been imprisoned in the cellar – might have been ten hours or ten days – but she knew she didn’t have long left to live. Her abductor had not only taken her liberty, he’d taken her glasses as well, leaving her virtually blind. The dim light only made matters worse, conjuring demons and monsters from the shadows. The beer kegs looked like large silvery blobs merging with the wall.
She was chained to a water pipe next to the stinking mattress. The handcuffs securing her wrist to the short chain cut into her every time she tried to roll over, and there was barely enough leeway to lie down flat. Even when she’d managed to snatch a few hours’ sleep, nightmares had terrorised her.
In one, she’d been sitting in the park with Darren. They’d talked about all the things they wanted to do. Buy a flat. Get married. Have kids. Grow old together. The clear blue sky overhead seemed to match her mood. And then Darren had got down on one knee and produced a ring. Asked her to marry him. Cassie didn’t think it was possible to feel as good as she did in that moment.
But then thunder had rolled across the sky, turning it instantly black. Cassie could no longer see Darren. She called his name, but he didn’t answer. Rain lashed down, soaking her to the skin. A flash of lightning tore the sky in two, revealing Darren still kneeling before her. Only now there was a dark shape standing behind him. Cassie could see the reason Darren hadn’t answered her – the dark shape had severed his head. Held it by the hair in one hand, a large hunting knife in the other, eyes as black as the sky.
Cassie had screamed herself awake. It had taken her several moments to get her bearings and realise where she was. Chained to the water pipe with one plastic bucket for her toiletry needs, and another to wash in. The chain made it virtually impossible to do either properly.
Her abductor had brought her meals from the chippy. Sandwiches and cakes from Dalton’s Bakery. Told her everything would be all right as long as she did as she was told. Cassie didn’t believe him. How could she trust the word of a man who’d forced her into a filthy pub cellar and chained her to a water pipe? Taken her glasses away and rendered her virtually blind?
Her imagination treated her to a daily slideshow of possibilities. Rape. Torture. Abuse. All delivered with incredible detail and clarity.
Her parents would be going out of their minds with worry by now. The police would be involved. Neighbours and friends out looking for
her. No doubt Darren would be questioned. She wondered if he would tell them about their argument. How he was a lowlife piece of scum who couldn’t keep his lying lips to himself.
The door opened. Footsteps clomped down the steps. Cassie’s heart thudded in her chest. She strained her eyes to see, but her captor was little more than a fuzzy green blob. No body. No limbs. No features. She could only describe him through memory. Hoodie, beard, combat trousers, sunglasses.
He stood a few feet away from her. ‘Hello, Cass.’
She didn’t answer. She kept her head down and tried to control her breathing.
‘Aren’t you gonna speak to me?’
‘I want my glasses back.’
‘Sorry. No can do.’
‘Why?’
‘Stop asking questions. Anyway, you’re better off without them. You can’t see the state of the place.’
‘I could clean it up a bit if I could see.’
‘Maybe in time. I need to be able to trust you first.’
‘You can trust me.’
‘That’s what my ex-girlfriend said. And she was about as honest as a fox who says it doesn’t like chicken.’
Cassie bowed her head. ‘I’m not her, though, am I?’
‘How old are you?’
Cassie wasn’t sure whether her sixteenth birthday had passed, but said she was fifteen. Perhaps being underage might make a difference. Ridiculous, considering monsters like him had no feelings. But it was all she had.
‘Have you got a boyfriend?’
‘No.’ The truth. She’d kicked Darren out of her heart the minute he’d told her about kissing the slag at school.
‘I find that hard to believe. A pretty girl like you.’
Cassie shrugged. The chain rattled against the water pipe. ‘It’s freezing down here at night.’
‘Then get in the sleeping bag.’
‘It’s too difficult with my wrist chained to the pipe. I can’t get comfortable enough to sleep.’
‘Sounds as if you’ve been too pampered at home.’
Treated well, Cassie thought. Treated like a human being. Just the thought of home brought tears to her eyes.
‘I’ll see if I can get you a quilt.’
‘And there’s rats down here.’
‘I’ll set traps.’
‘I’m scared they’ll bite me.’
‘They won’t. They only go for you if they’re cornered. People don’t understand rats. Amazing creatures. Immune to radiation. Nuclear bomb could wipe everyone off the face of the earth, and those little critters would enjoy a life of luxury. No more hiding away in sewers and basements. They’d be dining out at the poshest restaurants.’
‘Can’t you kill them now?’
‘Like I said, I’ll set traps. You need to learn to have patience, Cass, else you’ll end up a withered old hag like my mother.’
Cassie didn’t think she would end up old enough to be anything other than dead.
‘You ought to brush your hair. You look like a witch who’s been dragged through a hedge backwards.’
She fumbled on the mattress for the brush. Told herself to keep trying to gain his trust. Make him see she was a real person and not just a worthless object.
He retrieved the brush and put it in her hand. ‘Girls wear too much makeup these days, don’t you think?’
Cassie forced herself to agree with him. Told herself over and over that she might have a chance if she just did as she was told.
‘My ex used to plaster the stuff on with a trowel. Black gloop around her eyes. She looked like a bloody panda.’
Cassie ran the brush through her tangled hair. Her scalp felt sore. The bristles tugged at the roots.
‘Do you like makeup, Cass?’
‘Not much.’ Best answer considering his recent appraisal of his ex. ‘Just lipstick.’
‘Sensible girl.’
Yeah. So sensible I’ve ended up in this shithole with you. ‘Thanks.’
‘Would you like me to brush your hair for you?’
Cassie couldn’t think of anything worse. ‘If you want.’
He took the brush from her and ran it gently through her hair. She thought she would have to ask him to stop and let her puke in the toilet bucket. After a short silence, save the scraping of the brush, Cassie forced herself to ask him his name.
‘You mean the one my parents forced on me?’
She nodded.
After a short silence, he said, ‘If you must know, it’s Calum.’
Cassie stared at the fuzzy outline sitting in front of her. Although she couldn’t see him, she could smell him. He stank of damp and booze. And something else she couldn’t define. Perhaps pure evil.
‘But you can call me Saviour. If you think about it, that’s exactly what I am. I’ve saved you from a life of drudgery. Getting married to some idiot who only wants a maid. Having kids who will only grow up hating you. A shitty job. I’ll show you a better way. You belong to me now. Do you understand?’
Cassie understood. Her life was over.
You were the one who wanted to die after leaving Darren’s, a voice in her head reminded her. Looks as if you’ve got your wish now, doesn’t it?
‘Do you understand?’
‘Yes.’
‘I’m going into town soon. What would you like for lunch?’
Cassie didn’t think she’d ever be hungry again. Just the thought of food made her stomach cramp. But she had to eat. Had to keep her strength up. Just in case she got that one tiny opportunity to escape. ‘I don’t mind. You choose.’
‘What about a cheese salad baguette and a carton of orange juice?’
‘Okay.’
‘I might be a while. I’ve got chores to do.’
Cassie nodded.
‘And you can take that smacked-arse look off your face. It makes you look as if you don’t appreciate me.’
‘Sorry.’
‘I don’t like being taken for granted.’
‘Sorry.’
‘I don’t think you understand the true meaning of that word. But you will, Cass. That’s a promise.’
8
Danny hadn’t slept by 6am. He’d spent half the night playing Warcraft, and the rest of it practicing taekwondo moves in the mirror. He’d not attended the martial arts class since his father had died. No one to take him. His mother was barely going through the motions, and his brother had wanted nothing to do with him.
Calum was four years older than Danny, and the only time he’d ever bothered with him was to antagonise him or hurt him. Most of Danny’s childhood had been spent wishing he could throw Calum in the river and watch him drown.
To his shame, Danny had sometimes wished his mother had died instead of his dad. Why did it have to be the only person in the world who really cared about him? Took him fishing. To martial arts. Encouraged him with everything he did. Made him feel loved and wanted.
He could still remember the day his dad had died. Just a normal day. No black clouds in the sky. No bad omens. Nothing to warn him of the hell about to visit the Sheppard’s home. A decent day at school and then round to Auntie May’s to wait for his mother to pick him up after she finished work. Yes, his mother had gone to work back then. She’d even made tea and washed his clothes. He couldn't imagine her doing such things now.
Danny didn’t mind Auntie May. She meant well and gave him sweets. But she had a ginger cat that had turned on him one day for no reason. He’d been stroking it one minute, the next the bloody thing had gone for him, claws out, hissing like a demented snake. Danny was always relieved when his mother turned up and took him out of harm’s way. Auntie May could tell him the cat had only been playing as much as she liked, but he knew it was evil. The perfect pet for Calum.
The house had still looked normal when they’d arrived home. Nothing to warn them of the coming tragedy. His father’s car wasn’t there, which was strange because he usually got home about half an hour before them. But he sometimes stayed late at work, or g
ot held up in traffic. No great shakes. Just normal life on a normal street.
But when they’d stepped inside the house, the atmosphere felt heavier than usual. Quieter. Again, nothing to alarm a nine-year-old boy. It wasn’t the first time he’d felt uneasy for no apparent reason.
His mother had told him to make sure he washed his hands before tea, especially if he’d been stroking the cat. Danny didn’t tell her that the only reason he’d ever go near that damned cat was to throttle it.
He made it to his bedroom without getting ambushed by Calum. He could hear music blaring from his brother’s room. Guitars that sounded like pneumatic drills digging up the road. A singer that sounded as if he was being tortured.
About an hour to kill before tea. Danny pulled out a notebook from under his mattress. He flipped through it to a clean page to carry on with the story he’d been writing about a boy who’d killed his brother and buried the body in the garden under his dad’s vegetable patch. The joy he got watching the runner beans flourish, feeding on his brother’s corpse. How the carrots gave him extra special vision to see what was in people’s minds.
Just as he’d been about to write, there was a knock on the front door. Loud enough to make him jump and strain his ears to listen over the din of Calum’s music. But he could only hear muffled voices in the hallway.
Unable to concentrate, Danny had stuffed his notebook back under the mattress and took a peek out of his bedroom window. There was a cop car in the drive. His heart quickened. They’d never had the police at the house before. This had to be serious. Maybe Calum had done something so bad they were going to take him away and throw him in jail forever. A kid could hope!
Danny had sneaked onto the stairs, put his ears on full alert and gripped the bannister hard enough to turn his knuckles white. He could hear his mother making a terrible noise – somewhere between a scream and a police siren.
Calum had appeared behind him. ‘What the fuck’s happening?’
Danny didn’t know whether to be more shocked because of what was going on, or because Calum had spoken to him without his usual menace.
‘Why are the filth outside?’