Girl A, Dan Scottow [best short books to read .TXT] 📗

‘And you brought him along to Chloe’s birthday drinks like a good little puppy.’

‘Yeah. You should have seen your face. Thought all your Christmases had come at once.’

Beth twisted Vicky’s wet hair tighter in her hand.

‘What does he want?’

‘How do you mean?’

‘Why is he here? Does he want to hurt me? My family?’

‘I don’t know. I guess he wants to make you suffer. Make you pay. It’s no more than you deserve.’

‘I didn’t do anything. I’m innocent!’ Beth spat into her ear. Vicky sniggered sarcastically.

Beth shoved Vicky’s head, banging it against the car window again.

‘You keep telling yourself that, love,’ she snarled, writhing under Beth’s weight.

Blood mixed with the rain running down Vicky’s face, dripping down her front.

‘Why would you do this to me? What have I ever done to you?’ Beth pleaded.

She let go of Vicky’s arm. Vicky turned and slid down the car until she was sitting on the soaking concrete. Beth crouched, so she was looking directly at her.

‘To me?’ Vicky shrugged. ‘Nothing. But you got away with what you did to that little boy. You never had to pay.’

‘You think I haven’t paid for my part in that? You think I don’t suffer every damn day of my life?’

Vicky smirked, spitting blood out onto the floor.

‘Do I think you’ve suffered? No. I don’t. Not nearly enough. You have your perfect husband, your beautiful family, lovely big house in the country. Tell me, Kitty, what is so terrible about your life?’

‘Nobody knows what I have to endure. It took me a long time to get to where I am mentally.’

‘Oh boo-fucking-hoo. At least you’re alive! You had the chance to live a life. Billy Noakes never got that luxury.’

‘I’m not going to justify myself to you. I don’t have to. What involvement have you had with all the crap that’s been happening to us? Did he have you delivering the notes? Scratching our car? How much of it was you?’

Vicky frowned.

‘What?’

‘The notes. To our house. To Charlie’s work. Sneaking into my house and taking photos of me in the bath! Did you kill my dog? And what about my son’s girlfriend? Who did that?’

‘You really are crazy, aren’t you? I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.’

‘Stop lying!’ Beth slapped Vicky in the face as hard as she could. Vicky looked defiant as she licked blood from her split bottom lip.

‘As far as I knew he was only going to mess with you. Seduce you, then tell your husband. Send him photos of the two of you in the sack or something. I don’t know anything about notes. He clearly has his own agenda. He doesn’t report to me.’

Beth straightened up.

‘How can I find him?’

Vicky looked confused for a moment.

‘Michael Noakes. Where is he?’

Vicky stared at Beth, smirking. Beth crouched down again. Taking the sides of Vicky’s head in her hands, she gripped her hair, balling it tight into her fists.

Vicky winced again.

‘I won’t ask again. If you believe that I’m so guilty, do you really want to take the chance of pissing me off? If you think I’m capable of… that.’

Terror flashed in Vicky’s eyes.

‘He’s staying in a flat down on Broad Street in town, near the gay strip. Yellow front door. I’ve not been inside, but that’s where he is.’

Beth let go of Vicky’s hair, standing up. She looked down at her, damp, huddled against the car, like a pathetic, wounded creature. She resisted the overwhelming urge to kick her in the ribs.

‘You will never understand what you have done. What you have destroyed. I hope you’re happy.’

‘He’d already found you. I sped up the part where he got to meet you, that’s all. You can’t blame me for any of this. You brought it all on yourself. You’re finally getting what you deserve.’

There was no way Michael could have found her. She’d been so careful. More bullshit, probably to ease her own conscience over all this.

Beth turned and walked away, leaving Vicky to lick her wounds.

51

Beth sat in her Range Rover, parked down one end of the street. She stared at the sunshine-yellow front door. Bin bags piled up outside. Broken glass on the pavement. This was not what she expected.

Nothing could be less aligned with the handsome, well-groomed, charming man she had spent time with. She shook her head, pulling her phone from her pocket and typed out a quick message to Mikey.

Let’s meet. My house. ASAP. x

A few seconds later a reply appeared on Beth’s screen.

Ok! On my way x

She smiled, sliding her mobile away. A few minutes later, Mikey emerged from the front door. He pulled it shut behind him, locking it. Glancing at the broken glass outside his door, he kicked it towards the road sending it rattling across the pavement. He hurried away, disappearing around the corner. She waited a few minutes to make sure he didn’t return. Climbing out of her car, she glanced nervously about for a traffic warden. With nobody in sight, she risked it.

Michael Noakes was heading to her house in Falmer. A good thirty-minute drive each way from town. That gave her at least an hour. Beth approached the flat. She pushed the handle, thinking it was worth a try. It didn’t budge. A sign on the door said basement flat. A black door to the left, had a notice which said upper flat.

She scoured the front of the building. To the right of the steps leading up to the doors was a drop to the lower part of the property. Below her, beneath some railings, an open basement window attracted her attention.

Silly boy, she thought.

She looked around again. A few punters stood smoking outside a pub at the other end of the street. They were deep in conversation and hadn’t seemed to notice her.

Apart from that, the road was deserted. No pedestrians. No nosey neighbours. She took the chance. She heaved herself up over the black, cast-iron railings, then lowered herself down into the chasm, dropping onto the damp concrete below.