Before I Say I Do Page 15

  ‘I . . . I don’t understand.’ I could barely get the words out; my throat was closing up with fear. The pure hatred in his eyes was scaring me.

  He rolled his eyes at me. ‘I introduced myself to Mark at one of the city bars. Told him and his mate there was this private poker game. Lots of influential people. Brought him to this club. They loved it. Flirting with the girls. The drugs. The gambling. When he got himself into debt, like they always do, that’s when the boss offered him and his mate a solution. He had them sell him inside information from the bank to pay off their debts.’

  I felt sick. The way he’d stalked and set out to destroy me.

  ‘I got to watch Mark dig himself deeper and deeper into the shit, knowing he was about to marry you.’ He smiled at the memory but then the smile vanished. ‘But then he disappeared and so did the money he’d been paid. The boss wants it back. And because I brought him to the club, it’s my job to get it back. I didn’t want to contact you, it was too risky, but I thought you might know where he’d gone. I had to come up with that story about clearing my name to see if you knew anything. I don’t know how he’s ended up dead. I don’t care. I just need the fucking money back or the boss will kill me.’ His spit hit my face as he shouted at me.

  ‘I don’t know where it is,’ I screamed back at him. It didn’t matter what I did. I knew then that he was going to kill me here in this alleyway, just like he’d killed Mark, and Rachel. That story was just more lies. I had to get away. I tried to turn away from him as tears stung my eyes.

  ‘Hey. You don’t get away from me that easily.’ He grabbed my arms and pulled me to him. His hands gripped my shoulders and his face was close to mine ‘You destroyed me back then. You got to walk away, but I fucking didn’t, did I? You know I could’ve made something of myself. I wanted to run my own business. But then that day happened and everyone blamed me. Do you know what it’s like being called a child-killer and my parents still having to live round Ashurst Wood? It ruined their lives. And prison’s fucked up my head.’

  ‘Of course I know what it’s like to be called a child-killer.’ I hated him. ‘That’s why I could never go back to it. I wasn’t found guilty but that didn’t stop people judging me. I was the one who was meant to be looking after her. She was my sister.’

  I tried to wrench myself free from his grip, but it was no good – he was too strong.

  ‘You don’t get to walk away this time. This time you’re going to fucking pay.’ His right hand tightened around my arm, while his other hand jabbed at my face. ‘I won’t let you pin murder on me again. I didn’t kill him.’

  ‘You’re insane.’ Anger and fear coursed through me, making everything brighter. Jonny was trying to blame everything on me, like he had in the past. This had all been a game and he’d been playing it for years. I tried again to back away from him, but his hand held me so close I could smell the stale cigarettes and cheap lager on his breath.

  ‘No, you’ve got to be punished for what you did. How do you want to be punished?’ His other hand was trying to yank down my jeans.

  I struggled against him. ‘No.’ I couldn’t look him in the eye – too afraid of what I’d see. ‘Get off me.’

  ‘You did me over once and you’re doing it again. I should kill you.’ His spittle hit my face and trickled down my cheek.

  ‘Don’t—’ I was shaking violently and my breath came out jagged.

  ‘Stop fighting.’ He slapped me hard across the face. ‘You owe me. All those wasted years because of you.’

  My skin stung where he’d hit me and for a moment I was stunned, but then I came back to my senses. ‘I’ll go to the police,’ I shouted.

  ‘You heard the boss. You go to the police and he’ll kill you.’ His hand moved up my waist to my breast.

  ‘Stop.’ I tried to push him off, and my open hand struck his jaw.

  He looked shocked for a second and then his fist slammed into the side of my head. Dazzling pain stabbed into my brain, pulsating and sharp.

  ‘Don’t ever fucking try that again – you got that?’

  I put my hands up in defence, as a wave of nausea washed through me. I dry-retched and he finally pushed me away, disgusted. ‘Don’t fucking puke on me.’

  I knew that if I screamed, he’d silence me. I tried to slow my rapid breathing, to get control, as I tried to think what to do, how to get out of this . . .

  ‘I won’t let you and your stupid fiancé get me killed.’ He lifted his fist to the level of my face. ‘I want that hundred and fifty thousand in cash tomorrow or you’ll be fucking sorry. And don’t contact the police, they won’t be able to protect you if you do.’

  ‘And what if I don’t care what you do to me.’ I spat the words at him. In that moment I didn’t care anymore. He killed my sister and Mark.

  ‘What about Kayleigh? Do you care about her?’

  Lucy. Would he hurt her? My legs were shaking. I lifted my hands up in front of my body to ward off any more blows. ‘Okay,’ I said, although I knew there was no way I could get that sort of money. ‘Please . . .’

  ‘Don’t ever show up here again or the boss will have you killed and then me. You don’t know what you’re playing with.’ He glowered down at me. ‘And you fucking better get that money to me tomorrow . . . or Kayleigh dies.’

  Something in my mind snapped. I rushed at him, shoving him backwards with all of my body weight. He fell backwards towards the dumpsters, his hands grappling at the air, trying to steady himself.

  There was a cracking noise as the side of his head collided with the sharp corner of one of the bins, and it knocked him sideways, where his body and head smashed into the concrete floor beside the metal container. Blood dripped from an open gash. I tasted bile in my mouth as I looked at the torn skin. At what I’d done in my anger.

  ‘Jonny?’ He didn’t move.

  I inched nearer and whispered ‘Jonny’ again, but he stayed motionless on the floor. Unconscious or maybe worse. I tried to ignore the rising dread I felt and the need to scream. Instead I looked up at the CCTV camera. It was still pointing at the fire escape. It wouldn’t have captured me pushing him. All I’d done was push him when he’d threatened Lucy.

  My phone started ringing and I fumbled through my pockets. The noise was deafening. I saw it was Lucy calling and stabbed at the mute button with my shaking finger. Quiet at last. I glanced back towards the fire exit and scrabbled behind the metal bins in a panic, crouching down so no one would see me. There was silence except for my own ragged breathing. I stayed there trembling in the dark, waiting, but no one came.

  My phone vibrated silently in my hand. Lucy again. After a while it stopped and I saw she’d tried to call me earlier, when I’d been in the nightclub. There were also several missed calls from the police. I closed my eyes. What was I going to do?

  Chapter 26

  Julia Talbot

  Thursday

  ‘You did what?’ Lucy was trying not to get angry, but she was pacing. It was one in the morning and she looked exhausted, her auburn hair scraped into a ponytail. She’d picked me up a few streets away from the bar and had driven me home. I’d told her about the money that Mark and David owed the club owner and that Jonny was involved. She’d been furious. I couldn’t tell her I’d pushed Jonny, left him there on the floor bleeding. What would she think of me? She was all I had left. The police wanted to see me and were coming to the flat. It had to be serious this late at night.

  ‘It was stupid . . . but Jonny contacted me. I didn’t know it was him at first.’ I dropped my gaze to my hands. The diamond on my engagement ring gleamed in the light.

  ‘I shouldn’t have left you on your own. Not after the news about Mark. I’m sorry, this is my fault.’ She stopped in front of me, worry replacing the frustration as she looked at the bruise on my temple.

  ‘Jonny kept saying that it was my fault he was convicted. That I planted the ring with his blood at the scene. He was convinced. He said if he helped me find Mark, th
en maybe I’d know he wasn’t evil, and I’d help clear his name.’

  ‘And you believed him when he said he’d help you?’

  ‘No, of course not. I told him to stay away from me. But he didn’t listen. He sent me information about Mark. He seemed to know things. I thought I could find out if he was involved in Mark’s death.’ It sounded so stupid when I said it out loud, but when I’d found that business card I wanted to know if Jonny was involved. I’d had to find out for myself. Always trying to deal with things on my own.

  ‘I don’t understand why you wouldn’t tell me about him making contact?’

  ‘He told me not to tell anyone. I thought he knew something about Mark. Now I think he killed him.’

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me or the police?’ She shook her head at me in disbelief. ‘I can’t believe you’d go there alone.’

  ‘I wasn’t thinking straight. Jonny ruined my life all those years ago. I needed to know if he’d done it again. I thought I could find the answers, and if I couldn’t, I’d at least get him to tell me what happened. I knew he’d never talk to the police.’

  ‘You should tell them everything you’ve just told me. This is getting seriously out of control, Julia. You could have been killed.’ She tried to inspect my bruise but I brushed her off. I couldn’t meet her eyes. I’d tell the police about Jonny and the messages, and what his boss had said, but I couldn’t tell them we’d had an altercation and I’d left him there. I was scared he might be dead.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘You dismissed me when I mentioned Jonny, didn’t want me bringing him up again.’

  ‘So, because I didn’t listen you decide to go all Rambo and confront him? You could have died,’ she said again.

  Tears coursed down my cheeks and I couldn’t stop them. I wished I could confide in her what I’d done to Jonny, but I couldn’t. She didn’t deserve all this. I turned away from her.

  Someone knocked on the door. Lucy wiped the tears from her face as she peered through the spyhole. ‘It’s the police.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ Fear made it difficult to breathe and I spotted a drop of Jonny’s blood on my jeans. I tried to rub it away with my hand, but it didn’t budge. I retreated to the sofa, pulling a cushion across my lap to hide the spot.

  ‘Julia, I’m sorry it’s so late.’ Loxton scanned the room, looking at Lucy and then at me. She frowned as she looked at the bruise on my face, her eyes flicking back to Lucy briefly, and then finally settling on me.

  ‘We couldn’t get hold of you,’ she said.

  Kowalski looked worried. I felt like a child being admonished by a parent.

  ‘I’m sorry, I was asleep,’ I lied. ‘I’ve been taking these tablets. And Lucy was picking up James from the airport.’

  ‘Of course,’ Loxton said, softer now.‘We have something we need to tell you.’ She sat on the armchair to my left, while Kowalski stood to my right. I was hemmed in.

  Lucy nodded at me, but I clutched the cushion tighter, my knuckles going white. She frowned at me and then said. ‘Julia needs to talk to you too. There’s something she didn’t tell you.’

  I pressed my lips together. I couldn’t run away from my past any longer.

  ‘What do you need to say?’ Loxton looked at me intently.

  ‘You go first,’ I said.

  ‘I’m sorry for the late call. The news I’m about to tell you will come as a shock.’

  I nodded at her to go on.

  ‘The body we found in the river isn’t Mark. I’m sorry we implied that it was.’

  Bile rose up my throat. It wasn’t Mark. So where was he? What had they done to him? If I could find the missing money like they’d asked, would I get Mark back? A million questions raced through my mind but Lucy only had one.

  ‘Then who the hell is it?’ Lucy asked.

  ‘A Mr Robert McGregor. Does that name mean anything to you?’

  ‘No . . . no, it doesn’t,’ I said. Loxton was watching my face, noting my every reaction. Her gaze hovered again on my injury.

  ‘Lucy, do you know a Robert McGregor?’ Loxton asked.

  Lucy shook her head. ‘Never heard of him.’

  ‘You said Mark was dead.’ My eyes began to well. It wasn’t Mark. The relief was overwhelming. Then fear started to slither inside my stomach, growing inside me, making me feel sick. Where was he?

  Loxton nodded. ‘I know. I’m sorry. McGregor was wearing Mark’s watch; we’re trying to find out why.’

  ‘If you’d let me see him, I would have told you straight away it wasn’t Mark.’ They exchanged glances, as if willing the other to take the lead. Was Mark’s watch on the dead man a warning to keep my mouth shut or he’d be next? I had to be careful.

  ‘I’m sorry you have to go through this,’ Loxton said finally. ‘And that we gave you the wrong information.’ She looked like she wanted to wrap her arms around me, but instead she clenched her hands together on her lap.

  ‘Can you tell me when you last remember seeing Mark wearing his watch?’ Kowalski asked.

  I pictured it in my mind. It had been an extravagant present I couldn’t afford at the time. ‘He normally wears it to work but he leaves before me. I’m not sure.’

  ‘Did he tell you he’d lost it?’ Kowalski asked.

  ‘No . . . I think he was wearing it the weekend before. We went for dinner with his parents.’ I was sure he was wearing it.

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘David might remember if he was wearing it,’ I said.

  Loxton and Kowalski exchanged looks.

  ‘David was arrested earlier today. We think he knows more about Mark’s disappearance than he’s letting on,’ Loxton said. ‘He’s on bail and he’s not allowed to contact you.’

  ‘David Steele?’ I was glad the police were on to him. He was linked to the missing money. They already had him figured out, it seemed, but how much was he involved? ‘You think he’s involved?’ I asked, playing dumb.

  ‘We don’t know yet,’ said Kowalski. ‘This McGregor might have something to do with it. Are you sure you don’t know anyone of that name? Mark’s never mentioned him?’

  ‘No . . . I don’t think so.’ I knew a lot of Mark’s friends and work colleagues, but I was sure he’d never mentioned a McGregor.

  ‘Did Mark ever introduce you to a friend of his called Jonny Cane?’ Loxton asked.

  My stomach dropped. Lucy was staring at me, her lips pressed together in a firm line. I focused on the detective. ‘No – why?’ I couldn’t tell them about Jonny, what I’d found. Jonny and his boss had warned me off talking to the police. Jonny had threatened Lucy and they might hurt Mark. And I’d left Jonny in the alleyway, unconscious or maybe worse. What would they think if I told them he’d killed my sister all those years ago? They’d think I’d hurt him on purpose; after all, I’d gone to the nightclub in search of him. I had to think. One wrong move and I could make it all worse.

  ‘We need to speak to him.’ There was a light in Loxton’s eyes. She’d seen something in my face.

  ‘Are you sure you don’t know Cane? This is a recent photograph of him.’ She showed me and then Lucy the photo. It looked like one taken in a prison. Jonny was glaring at the camera.

  ‘Never heard of him.’ I looked to Lucy quizzically, praying she would back me up. There was a brief moment and then she shook her head back at me and shrugged her shoulders.

  Loxton looked disappointed. ‘Could I speak to you alone for a moment, Julia?’

  This felt like a trap, but I nodded to Lucy to go.

  ‘I’ll put the kettle on,’ she said and closed the kitchen door behind her.

  I tried to keep my breathing steady, to try and not look anxious.

  ‘What did you want to tell me earlier?’ Loxton asked.

  ‘Oh. Just something on the Facebook appeal page. Someone thought they’d seen Mark near the Thames but it’s just another mistaken identification.’

  ‘Who hurt you?’ Loxton’s voice was softer, and her eyes fell o
nto the bruise on my temple.

  ‘This.’ I raised my hand to my face. ‘It’s nothing.’

  ‘It doesn’t look like nothing,’ Kowalski said.

  ‘I banged my face opening a kitchen cupboard. I was tired.’ My voice shook, but I managed to keep my eyes on Kowalski as I said it, willing him to believe me.

  ‘Did someone do that to you?’ Loxton peered at the mark. ‘That’s only just happened.’

  I shook my head, trying hard not to cry. ‘Just me. I was rushing.’

  ‘Was it David Steele?’ Kowalski asked.

  ‘No. It was just an accident. I’m fine.’

  ‘Julia, this Jonny Cane had some photographs of you and Mark in his flat. Do you have any idea why?’

  ‘No.’ I shook my head, managing to keep the shock from my voice. Jonny had said he’d been stalking me since his release from prison. He’d been setting a trap for Mark and me and now he could be dead on the floor of that alleyway I might never find out the truth. It was best to keep playing dumb until I knew more. Mark could be alive and I needed to figure out how to help him.

  ‘We’re going to arrest him. Until then, do not let anyone into your flat. Only open the door if it’s someone you know. Call 999 if you feel threatened or you see this man.’

  I nodded. ‘I’ll . . . I’ll check through the spyhole first.’ I clasped my hands together over the cushion still trying to hide the stain of blood. ‘You said you checked his flat, but he wasn’t there?’ I saw Jonny again in my mind, lain on the floor, perfectly still.

  ‘He wasn’t there, but don’t worry, we’ll find him,’ Loxton said.

  ‘Thank you,’ I managed.

  ‘Julia, call us anytime if you think of anything else.’

  I let them out of the flat and then closed the door, double bolting it as Lucy came back into the living room. She waited a beat until we heard their footsteps fading. ‘Did you tell them about Jonny?’ she whispered.

  ‘No,’ I whispered back. ‘It wasn’t Mark in the river. He could be alive. If I tell them about Jonny and he is involved, he might do something to him. He kept going on about the missing money Mark owed his boss.’