One good deed, p.23
One Good Deed, page 23
Elliott blew out air while he pretended to think about it. ‘Okay, what if I tell Rebecca that you suggested I come along as a chaperone, to make her feel safer? Tell Heidi to keep low on the back seat of your car so that Rebecca doesn’t see her. Then we do the swap. You stay with Rebecca. Heidi and I will leave you to it.’
‘Rebecca will see Heidi eventually.’
‘Yes, she will. Will it matter by that point?’
He knew it wouldn’t. It had become obvious in recent hours that Darren’s envisaged future for Rebecca did not have a happy ending.
‘No,’ Darren confirmed. ‘That … that sounds like a plan.’
‘Okay. Good. Cromley Point, you said, right?’
‘Yes. Cromley Point.’
‘Right. I’ll find it. But Heidi better be there, and she’d better be in one piece. If not, Rebecca and I will turn the car around and drive away for ever.’
‘Same goes for you, Elliott. I want to see just you and Rebecca at that meeting. Anyone else turns up, and Heidi dies.’
Elliott swallowed hard. ‘I think we understand each other.’
‘Good. Then I’ll see you both at midnight.’
Elliott hung up. He had no idea what he’d just landed himself in. The only thing he knew for certain was that he wasn’t going to be able to pull this off without Rebecca.
45
Darren stood up, then sat down again. He wasn’t sure what to do with himself.
Rebecca. He was finally going to be with Rebecca again. It was hard to believe.
Too hard?
Was this a trick? A trap?
But then how could it be? Elliott wouldn’t have known anything about Cromley Point. That had to have come from Rebecca.
And why would Elliott not be telling the truth? What would he gain? If the police were brought in, or Rebecca wasn’t there, then Darren would simply kill Heidi. Elliott was at this moment standing right next to the body of a man who had dared to go up against Darren. He would be fully aware that Darren was not afraid to carry out his threats.
So it had to be true.
Darren smiled. He found it warming that Rebecca should have suggested their sunset place for a reunion. It held such memories – clearly as much for her as it did for him. Maybe this would work out well after all. Maybe she really would see the sense of coming back to him once they’d talked things over.
And if not? Well, things would have to end differently. Tragically. Like Romeo and Juliet. There was a certain beauty in that. A certain satisfaction in finishing their tale at the spot they found so romantic.
His head hurt.
Waves of pain kept crashing in, and they were becoming more frequent. He knew he needed medical attention, but that couldn’t happen yet. He just hoped he could live long enough to see this through. If he was to die, let it be in the arms of his beloved Rebecca.
He realised he was getting all poetical. Tears kept jumping to his eyes. He was turning into a bigger wuss than Elliott. That’s what Rebecca could do to him.
Focus.
He jumped off the stool, went across to Heidi. Ripped the duct tape away in one savage motion.
‘Did you catch any of that?’ he asked.
‘Some of it.’
‘It worked. I’m going to see Rebecca again. Your boy Elliott somehow managed to convince her.’
‘It doesn’t surprise me. People underestimate him.’
Darren smiled again. ‘Of course, you helped. If you hadn’t followed me, I wouldn’t have had leverage.’
‘Yay for me. So what happens now? You letting me go?’
‘I’d love to. But there’s one more thing we need to do together.’
‘And what’s that?’
‘We’re going for a drive. We’ll use my car, if you don’t mind. I don’t think yours would get very far. You can’t drive for shit.’
‘And where are we going?’
‘Somewhere nice. Weather’s not so good right now, but you can’t have everything.’
‘Well, I could do with a change of scenery. We taking a picnic?’
Darren laughed at her display of bravado, but then had to screw his eyes shut with the pain.
‘You … you haven’t met Rebecca yet, have you?’
‘No, but I’ve heard a lot about her. She sounds quite a character.’
‘You’ll like her. Everybody does.’
‘I’m looking forward to it.’
What the fuck, Elliott? What the actual fuck?
Heidi was convinced Elliott had lost his mind. This was certainly not going to be a picnic. She had heard Darren mention Cromley Point on the phone. She knew where it was. Knew that it was in the middle of fucking nowhere. There would be no witnesses.
Darren had reached breaking point. Since that last knock on the head he had gone haywire. He didn’t care anymore. The only thought occupying his screwed-up brain was being with Rebecca for ever, and it didn’t matter to him whether that was alive or dead. In fact, she was pretty sure that he’d already opted for the latter.
But even getting that far required Rebecca actually turning up, and it seemed extremely unlikely that Elliott would achieve that. Managers of cat charity shops do not superheroes make. Without Rebecca on his arm, he would undoubtedly be walking into a deadly situation, both for himself and for Heidi.
What the hell are you doing, Elliott?
46
Elliott wondered what the hell he was doing.
There were so many ways this could go wrong. Probably only one way it could go in his favour. And the latter would require the alignment of so many chance elements as to make a desirable outcome virtually impossible.
This was insane.
Even the weather seemed to be trying to warn him against his foolhardy mission. Fierce gusts of wind buffeted his car as he drove, while the rain came down in steady sheets across his windscreen, blurring his view.
But still he pressed on. He felt he had no choice.
Maybe he would die tonight. Weirdly, the notion didn’t upset him, didn’t tempt him to turn back. What he knew in every fibre of his body was that this was right. It was what he had to do.
He turned to his passenger. ‘You okay about this, Rebecca?’
She remained silent, her gaze fixed on the route ahead.
*
Darren drove up the narrow country lane, his headlights on full beam to cut through the blackness. Tall hedgerows bordered him on either side. A minute or so later, the hedgerows suddenly ended, the view opening up. Ahead was a small car park. Beyond that, Darren knew there was a sheer cliff edge that, in good weather, offered breathtaking views across the sea. Right now, it felt like the end of the world.
He reversed his Audi into a bay, so as to be face-on to any approaching vehicle. The car park was otherwise empty – all sensible people tucked up in bed. He checked the time. Three minutes to midnight. Three minutes to being with Rebecca.
He turned off the engine and doused the headlights, but kept the car’s sidelights on. The wipers came to a halt. Rain pounded down, dissolving his view, but he would see the other car’s lights when it approached. The Audi rocked as the roaring wind thumped at it.
Darren turned to look behind him at Heidi, lying across the back seat. To be on the safe side, he had bound her legs and arms before dragging her into the car. The girl could be impetuous, and he didn’t want her attacking him from behind while he was driving.
‘We’re here. It’ll all be over in a few minutes.’
‘And then you’ll let me go?’
‘I promised, didn’t I? But Elliott has to come through first. Otherwise, all bets are off.’
Elliott had never been here before. It seemed so remote from civilisation, so distant from anyone who might come to his aid.
He drove up the lane, squinting to see through the squally weather. A minute later he found himself in the car park. There was only one other car here, its sidelights staring back at him.
He parked facing it. Keeping his headlights on full beam, he could make out the head and shoulders of Darren in the driver’s seat of the Audi. There was no sign of Heidi.
Darren’s pulse quickened. The rush of blood through his head was like a stream of hammer blows. The intense light shining into his eyes from Elliott’s car didn’t help matters.
He turned on his own headlights and the windscreen wipers, then he picked up his phone and called Elliott.
‘I’m here,’ Elliott said as he answered.
‘Turn off your headlights,’ Darren ordered.
The lights ahead went out. Darren leant forward to peer through the rain.
She was there! Sitting beside Elliott. Rebecca was there!
‘You brought Rebecca?’
‘I said I would, didn’t I?’
‘Put her on the phone.’
‘Not so fast. Where’s Heidi? I don’t see her.’
Darren twisted around. ‘Sit up,’ he told Heidi. It no longer mattered that she would be in plain sight. It was too late for Rebecca to do anything about it now.
‘She’s behind me,’ Darren said. ‘Can you see her?’
They swapped illumination, Darren dousing his lights while Elliott put his back on. A few seconds later, they swapped back.
‘Okay,’ Elliott said. ‘Then we’re good to go.’
‘Let me talk to Rebecca first,’ Darren asked again.
Ahead, he thought he could see Elliott turning and leaning towards his passenger. Elliott’s lowered voice was still audible: ‘He wants to talk to you.’
And then a quiet reply: ‘I’m not going to discuss it over the phone.’
‘What was that?’ Elliott asked.
Again, louder this time: ‘I’m not going to discuss it over the phone.’
Elliott said into the phone, ‘Did you hear that? She said she—’
‘Yes, yes. I heard.’
But Darren didn’t care. What he’d just heard was, without a shadow of a doubt, Rebecca’s voice. She was there, just a short distance away. He could hardly contain his excitement.
‘We need to do the trade,’ he said. ‘Send Rebecca across, and I’ll send Heidi.’
‘Okay,’ Elliott said. And then, ‘Hang on.’
Darren heard Rebecca’s voice cutting in. Heard her say, ‘I don’t think it would be a good idea for me to go there.’
Elliott started to relay it. ‘Rebecca says she—’
‘Yes, I heard. Fine. Tell her I’ll come over to her. You come over to Heidi. We’ll do it that way.’
‘Okay,’ Elliott said. Darren heard him pass the message to Rebecca, and then her saying, ‘All right.’
Darren turned to Heidi again. ‘You hear that? Elliott’s coming over. You can get all lovey-dovey with him while I talk to Rebecca.’
And then Darren opened his car door, struggling to keep the wind from whipping it out of his hand, and stepped into the fierce rain.
From the back seat, Heidi watched him leave. She still didn’t understand what was happening. How the hell had Elliott managed to persuade Rebecca to come with him? Surely she would know she was in danger?
Frantically, Heidi tried to work on the rope binding her wrists behind her. She had a terrible feeling this was a long way from being over.
As Darren emerged from his car, Elliott looked to his left again.
‘It’s all up to you now, Rebecca,’ he said. ‘Don’t let me down.’
He opened his own door, heaved it against the wind coming in from the sea. As soon as he stepped out onto the tarmac, the rain slanted straight through his clothes, soaking him.
He started walking.
Darren came towards him.
They crossed paths at the mid-point. On Darren’s face was a twisted smile. Elliott tried to put it out of his mind. He needed to concentrate on the task at hand.
A bit more time, he thought. Just give me enough time.
He wanted to start sprinting to the Audi, but knew he couldn’t because it would arouse suspicion.
A steady pace, he told himself. Just keep walking. Nearly there.
He could see Heidi bobbing around on the back seat.
I’m coming. Stay strong.
His plan, such as it was, was to get Heidi out of the car and then for the pair of them to just start running. Get the hell out of there. Forget about Darren and whatever it was he was up to. Just run. Find a hiding place if possible. If not, then take him on if needed. Two against one was much better odds.
Nearly there …
Darren approached the car. Rebecca was just sitting there, making no move to get out or open the window.
He wondered what he should say, what his opening line should be. But there was no rush. They had all the time in the world now. Time to fix everything.
He could see her long blonde hair now, her pale features. She was almost shining.
And then the oddness of it all struck him, and he turned and saw Elliott reaching for the rear door of the Audi …
Elliott went to grab the door handle …
And then amber lights flashed and there was a brief blip of noise, and Elliott realised that all the doors had just been remotely locked.
He turned. Saw Darren looking at him, the Audi key fob in his hand.
He knows!
I’m too late.
Darren yanked open the passenger door of Elliott’s car and stared in at the occupant.
She didn’t turn towards him, didn’t say anything. Didn’t react at all.
Shop mannequins don’t do much of that.
Myrtle was now in a long blonde wig. On her stiff thighs rested a laptop.
Darren realised he’d been had. Rage took hold of him.
It was time to kill.
47
Elliott tried the handle of the Audi. When that didn’t work, he pounded on the window.
‘Open the door!’ he implored.
‘I’m tied up,’ Heidi screamed back at him. ‘I can’t.’
Elliott hadn’t factored this into his plan. Stupid!
He looked back towards his own car. Darren was striding towards him, his expression murderous.
Elliott thumped the window again. He looked around on the ground for a rock or something that he could use to break the glass.
‘RUN!’ Heidi yelled. ‘Get out of here!’
‘I’m not leaving you!’ Elliott screamed.
He took a step back and kicked the window, but his foot simply bounced off.
And then Darren was on him, his head down and shoulders bent, bulleting into Elliott’s midriff.
Elliott felt the air explode out of him as his feet left the ground. He crash-landed on the tarmac, tried to breathe again through the freezing rain that seemed intent on drowning him.
‘You bastard!’ Darren yelled. ‘What have you done?’
Elliott started to get to his feet. He saw Darren glaring murderously at him, his body swaying drunkenly and his arms swinging before him like a gorilla.
‘It’s over, Darren. It’s all over now.’
Darren moved closer. ‘No. Not yet. I’m still alive and Rebecca is still alive. There’s still a chance for us. Not for you, though. You fucked up, Elliott.’
Even though he knew what was coming, Elliott kept himself between his opponent and the car containing Heidi, hoping to act as some kind of human shield.
And then the first punch landed, and he knew that he was going to have to think again.
It hit Elliott squarely on the cheek, catapulting his head backwards, and he felt himself crash against the car, and for a couple of seconds he could see nothing. When the world began to make sense again, it was only to catch a glimpse of another fist rocketing towards his face. This one collided with his mouth, and it felt to him that his lips exploded.
He staggered away from the car, blood spurting from his mouth, his tongue frantically checking that his teeth were still intact, but Darren continued to pursue him, the blows now raining down like the elements, penetrating their way through Elliott’s meagre defence of his raised arms. They found their targets unerringly, smashing into his jaw, his nose, his cheek; and as if just for a little variety, there was the occasional foray into his lower body, each sledgehammer into his solar plexus driving home that he was about to die.
Then came a missile of a punch that zoomed right in on the point of his chin, and Elliott lost consciousness.
Heidi watched in horror. It was a complete mismatch of fighting spirit and ability. It was going to be a bloodbath, a massacre.
She had no idea how to control the door locks from within the vehicle – didn’t even know whether it was technically possible to open the doors from inside once they had been remotely locked. But with her ankles tied together and her hands bounds behind her, experimenting with the various switches in the car wasn’t an option.
In desperation, she threw herself onto her back across the rear seats. She raised her legs, kicked the soles of her feet against the window. Once … twice … deep breath and a yell … three times …
The glass exploded into the night.
Darren whirled at the noise behind him.
He saw a head protrude from the rear window of his car. It was quickly followed by shoulders, a torso, squirming out of the hole like a fat juicy maggot …
And then Heidi’s whole body slipped out of the car and landed face first on the rain-soaked tarmac.
Darren looked again at the prone body at his feet. Elliott could wait. There was more fun to be had right now.
‘That’s gotta hurt,’ he called to Heidi.
And then he went over to her, and he looked down at her. The rain carried away the blood streaming from her face, and the wind whipped away her cries, but he could see how much pain she was in, how much distress.
He laughed hysterically as he administered the first kick into her ribs.
Consciousness took a gamble and returned.
Elliott raised his head, wondered for a second what hell he’d landed in, why the skies were so dark and furious, why his whole body was on fire.
He turned his head and spat out blood mixed with rainwater, then he gasped for air and remembered where he was.
He pushed himself up, blinked the rain away.
