‘Jasper, you’re a creep and the worst husband there ever was. I want a divorce.’
Throwing it back down she dropped the tea towel on top of it, so he couldn’t watch her, and began to search for any more. The broken glass and mess were forgotten about whilst she hunted high and low, in all the places she could think there might be more of them hidden.
Lexie and Ava were upstairs on the computer – Lexie was on her huge Apple iMac; Ava was using her MacBook – and they were both trying to log on to the game calledIsaiahthey’d been playing with Tim. Neither of them had admitted to their parents that they played it, because then they’d have known that they had been accessing the Dark Web and had installed cameras in their own homes to watch their families, and they would be furious with them.
Lexie stood up. ‘I’m going to get something to eat. I think the game’s been taken down. Whoever was running it might have heard the police were asking questions and removed it.’
Ava shrugged. ‘Why though, isn’t that the whole point of the Dark Web, so you can do stuff without getting caught? It was only a game. I quite liked being able to go inside other people’s houses and watch what they were doing. It made mine seem not so boring, and my next level prize was supposed to be the new iPhone.’
Lexie laughed. ‘You think your life is boring, I watched my mum once and it was so painful. All she did was stare at the wine fridge for ages. I literally felt like messaging her and telling her to have a glass or two, I’d get the bus home or walk. Poor cow, she never drinks anything because she says it doesn’t agree with her, yet she spends more time watching the wine fridge than the TV.’
Lexie walked out onto the first-floor landing, laughing. She didn’t notice the figure in the shadows watching her, their gloved hands holding a plastic bag, with a piece of rope dangling from their pocket along with some cable ties.
FIFTY
The whole drive, Morgan couldn’t shake the feeling of complete and utter fear that was lodged in the back of her throat. Turning onto the driveway for the big house she decided to go on up; hopefully Ben would get her message and be here soon, if she needed help. The house was so huge and forlorn standing against the backdrop of the mountains. Morgan didn’t knock on the door, instead she turned the handle to see if it opened. It didn’t, it was locked, which was good for security, not so good for her. She rushed around the perimeter of the building to get to the back door; she ran up the steps that led to the kitchen door and peered into the kitchen, her heart almost stopping instantly. At the table were Lexie and Natalie White, both of them red-faced, struggling to breathe, with plastic bags over their heads. Pulling out her police radio Morgan pressed the small orange button on the top of it. Once the button was pressed it vibrated loudly and transmitted every word spoken until it was turned off.
‘Hellsfield Hall, Hellsfield Road. Urgent assistance, crime in progress, attempted murder.’
The door was locked, and Morgan had no choice but to break a pane of glass. Smashing the small window with a rockery stone, she put her hand through to turn the key and let herself in. Natalie was no longer struggling against the bag pulled tight over her head. There was a cable tie keeping it in place. Morgan looked around saw the broken glass everywhere and instead of wasting time looking for a pair of scissors, she picked up a large shard and began sawing through the plastic. It snapped, and she tugged the bag off Natalie’s face. She was unconscious but still breathing. Morgan pushed her forwards, so she was leaning on the table, then ran to Lexie whose eyes were bulging out of their sockets as she desperately tried to suck in air that wasn’t there. Morgan did the same, sawing with the sharp glass until the plastic snapped, and then she dragged the bag off her head. Lexie was gulping for air. She pointed to the stairs and croaked, ‘Ava.’
Morgan nodded. She had nothing to defend herself with against a killer, except the sharp piece of glass she clenched in her hand. Wrapping her fingers around it she didn’t notice that it had sliced the skin of her fingers. Blood was dripping down from her hand, but she couldn’t feel it, the adrenalin was pumping so fast around her body. She ran for the stairs, heading straight for Lexie’s room. Standing inside the open doorway with her back to her was a blonde-haired woman, the same woman she’d spoken to outside of Sally’s salon on Friday, who called herself Jackie Thorpe. She was struggling to control the teenage girl in her grip who was fighting for her life.
‘Let her go, it’s over.’
The woman’s head shook from side to side, but she didn’t turn to face Morgan. Instead, she tugged the plastic bag down over Ava’s head, holding it tight so she couldn’t breathe.
Morgan pressed the orange button on her radio again, and it started to vibrate against her trouser leg, so the control room could hear everything that was happening. Then she ran at her, hitting her hard from behind with her shoulder to knock her off balance, so hard that she let go of Ava who scrambled away from her, pulling the bag off her head.
‘Run, Ava, the police are coming, let them in the front door.’
The woman turned to Morgan, her face a mask of fury.
It was her eyes that scared Morgan the most. They were so dark and showed not the slightest bit of fear. She took a gamble, and spoke, ‘It’s over, Jackie, you aren’t the hand of God, you never were. I’m sorry for what you went through, no one should have to lose their parents like that, but you can’t go around deciding who lives and who dies.’
Jackie smiled at her, but it didn’t reach those cold, dead eyes. It merely lingered a little on her lips then died.
‘I think you’ll find that I can, and I have. They deserve to die, every single one of them. An eye for an eye, isn’t that what the Bible teaches us? When a person causes another to suffer then they should suffer an equal amount. I have no use for eyes, but hands, well they mean something more to me.’
Morgan shook her head. ‘Tim was a fourteen-year-old boy, he did nothing to you, neither has Lexie or Ava, yet you were willing to kill them, for what?’
‘I don’t care about their ages; my life was torn to pieces when I was only nine years old, and no one gave a fuck about me. Perfect Sally, who everyone loved, was a vile, horrible slut who instigated the events that night. But I got her back. Now it’s Erica’s turn.’
Morgan had to keep her talking. ‘What about Jason, where does he fit in, he was involved too that night? Don’t you see how it will never end? Trying to place blame won’t bring your parents back.’
‘Oh I’ll get him, too, he would have been first, except he moved away years ago. I haven’t found him yet, but it’s only a matter of time.’
‘Ava and Lexie don’t deserve this, Jackie; you can’t blame a child for the sins of their parents.’
She began to laugh. ‘I suppose not, but you can torture that parent by killing the child. That bitch Erica ruined my life. She killed my parents and didn’t care one little bit about me. It’s only fair that she sees me kill her family before she dies too.’
Morgan hoped that backup was coming, as she didn’t know how long she could keep Jackie talking. She caught a glimpse of flashing blue reflecting in the large picture window behind her, and turned her head. But she went a little too far, taking her attention away from Jackie. In that split second she rushed towards her, and Morgan saw the meat cleaver raised in the air. She froze as she was almost on her. Remembering the glass in her hand she turned away just enough so the cleaver whooshed through the air, narrowly missing her head, then turned back to ram the glass into her chest. At the final second she heard Cain shout, ‘Morgan, get down.’
She dropped, just as he pulled the trigger on the taser and the two barbs shot out of it, embedding themselves into Jackie’s chest. Jackie paused, her arm raised, her mouth open in anger, and then her entire body began to jerk as she fell to the floor, twitching, almost landing on Morgan.
Morgan scrabbled to get away from her, then Cain was there, his big hands pulling her to her feet. His face ashen as he shook his head, ‘Too bloody close, Morgan, that was too bloody close.’ Then he hugged her briefly before updating the control room that they needed an ambulance and that the suspect was on the ground.
Amy had Jackie’s arms behind her back, and Cain passed her the handcuffs from his belt, and she expertly had them cuffed before Jackie could even move. The pounding of boots running up the stairs filled the air, and Morgan released the breath she’d been holding. Cain was right, it had been too close. The appearance of the response officers was a sight to behold as they filed in ready to deal with Jackie.
