Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
EMMA
YOU’RE NEXT.
T hose two words were spray-painted on my living room wall. Huge red letters like something from a horror movie. The paint on each letter had dripped downwards before drying, making them look like blood stains.
The knife I’d been holding fell to the floor as every part of me froze in fear.
“What the fuck?” Alex growled from behind, his voice full of unbridled fury. “What the fucking hell is this?” And then, without waiting for me to speak, he marched past me into my house.
He stood in front of the words, and I could see him fisting his hands, like he wanted to punch something. He was panting, too. This had shocked him as much as it did me. Well, maybe not quite as much, because I felt like I was about to pass out.
He turned to look at me, and with a face of stony anger, he said, “He did this, didn’t he? This is the kind of fucked-up shit you’ve had to deal with.”
I just nodded mutely, discreetly reaching my hand out to touch the wall and steady myself. I had no words left to say.
“I’m going to fucking kill him,” Alex snarled, and then charged through the living room into the kitchen as if he expected to find the culprit lurking in there. He was fired up and ready to take him out with his bare hands.
Cautiously, I stepped further into the living room, and as I glanced around, I noticed a small blue box with a pink bow on top, sitting on my windowsill. My hands shook as I reached forward and took the lid off. I was scared to see what was inside.
Was this another body part?
A piece of Sirius Bell he thought I needed to see?
It wasn’t, and relief flooded through me, but it was short-lived.
Inside was a Barbie doll, completely naked, with cuts slashed into her plastic body. Around her neck was a piece of twinning twisted to look like a noose, and her eyes had been scratched out. On the inside lid of the box were the words ‘Tick Tock, Emma’.
He was coming for me.
I put the lid back on the box and picked it up, putting it into my bag before Alex could see it.
At that moment, Alex came striding out of the kitchen with purpose, his face red as he struggled to contain his anger.
“There’s no sign of forced entry,” he snapped. “The back door is locked, and the windows haven’t been tampered with. How the hell did he get in?”
I wanted to say, ‘Because he wanted to, and there won’t be any signs of forced entry because he’s done this before’. But I stood there dumbstruck as Alex headed for the stairs. Then he stopped and turned to face me. “Are you okay, Emma?” he asked, genuine concern shining in his eyes.
“No,” I stammered, trying to hold in my tears.
He put his arms out and pulled me into a hug, holding me tightly as I stood with my hands limply at my sides, letting him. But standing in his arms did help to ease the sensation of a million bugs crawling over me. He was here. I was so fucking glad he was here. Because if I’d seen this on my own, I’m not sure how I’d have coped.
I felt him kiss the top of my head and then sigh as he said, “I’ll find him, and when I do, I’ll make him pay for this.”
I was silent for a moment. Then I whispered, “Thank God you didn’t listen to me, leave me on the street, and drive away like I wanted you to.”
He kept a tight hold of me as he replied, “I told you, I’ll always be here for you, Emma.”
I closed my eyes, wishing that this could be different. Willing those painted words on my wall to disappear. Wishing I could disappear too or get a rewind button so I could go back to the night of the gallery and change every single thing I’d done. Well, maybe not every single thing.
Alex loosened his hold on me, then took my face in his hands, using his thumb to brush away a stray tear that’d fallen.
“This ends now,” he stated firmly. “You have my word.”
I nodded and he let his hands fall to his sides. “Let me check the rooms upstairs, then we’ll call the police.”
“The police won’t care,” I told him.
“Maybe not, but I do. I’ll make them listen,” he replied, before running up the stairs, taking them two steps at a time.
I knew he was right.
They’d listen to him.
A man.
A rich man.
But me?
I could’ve walked into that police station with the bloody heart in the box, and they’d probably still doubt me. Or arrest me for the offence, thinking I’d committed the murder.
Everything had become too much. I was frightened of this guy stalking me. Terrified, in fact. Gracie had gone AWOL. The police weren’t helping me, and work had thrown me to the wolves, causing the pain and then leaving me to deal with the fallout. I couldn’t handle this on my own anymore. I felt relieved that Alex was involved now. That I had someone else on my side.
“Upstairs is clear,” Alex stated as he came back down. “Is there anyone with access to your house or anyone who has a spare key?”
“There’s only Ethel next door that has a key for emergencies. No one else.”
“Then let’s go and talk to her,” he said, heading for the door.
I followed him, glancing nervously up and down the street as we emerged from my house, praying I wouldn’t see a dark figure hiding in the shadows.
Alex knocked on Ethel’s door as we both stood outside, waiting. She muted her television and then, seconds later, opened her door. Her eyes bugged when she saw Alex, and she looked him up and down before turning to me with a knowing smile.
“How are you, love? I noticed you haven’t been home for a few days.” As she said that, she glanced at Alex and smirked to herself.
“No,” I replied and then tried to find the words to tell her why we were there. I didn’t want to scare her by saying I’d had a break-in. She was in her eighties. It’d cause her stress she didn’t need at her age. But it was tough to sugarcoat this. “Did you see anyone come to my house while I was away?”
She frowned. “Not that I know, love. Is everything okay?”
Alex went to speak, but I cut him off. I didn’t want him saying too much.
“It’s fine. I was expecting a visitor, and I felt bad for missing them, what with me being away.” I turned to look up at Alex and give him a knowing look as if to say, ‘Keep quiet. Don’t scare her. She’s too old to deal with the shit we’re dealing with’.
“Out of interest,” Alex piped up. “Do you have Emma’s spare key? We need to borrow it if that’s okay?”
Ethel beamed back at Alex, “Of course it is. It’s not my key,” then looking at me, she added, “It’s yours.”
We stayed on the step as she disappeared back inside then came back down her hallway, clutching my key in her hand.
“There you go,” she said, as Alex put his hand out to take it.
“Has anyone ever used it?” he asked, and Ethel stared at him in confusion.
“No. It’s been in a drawer in my living room for the last few years. Ever since you gave it to me, Emma. I’ve never needed to use it.”
“And no one else had access to that drawer?” Alex pushed, and Ethel scoffed, clearly thinking he was being ridiculous.
“Do you think I hand out people’s keys to strangers? I’m not senile, you know.” She was pissed.
“We know that,” I said, glaring at Alex. “And we’re sorry. Thanks for everything, Ethel. I appreciate everything you do for me. We’ll leave you in peace now.”
She mumbled to herself, gave Alex a sharp look, then smiled back at me. “Come round for a cuppa, anytime you’re free. I miss our little chats.”
“Will do,” I replied, and she nodded then closed the door.
“He stole the key off her,” Alex hissed as we walked back to my house.
“Maybe. Or maybe he’s fucking Houdini.” I opened the door, recoiling when I saw those painted words again, screaming back at me.
“Houdini was an escape artist,” Alex said, closing the front door behind us. “Our guy is a...”
“Fucked-up killer artist,” I replied, finishing his sentence.
Alex’s nostrils flared as he stood still, staring at me.
“He’s a dead man, is what he is. I’ve supported him for years, but not anymore. I don’t fuck with anyone who terrorises a woman like he’s done, especially not when it’s you.” He paused, and then, as if he was talking to himself, he uttered, “He’s lost his fucking mind.”
“You know who he is,” I stated. “You could expose him. Show the world who he really is.”
“I’ll deal with this personally,” he replied, not really answering my question. And then he moved to stand in front of me. “This won’t happen again. You have my word.”
I appreciated him giving me that comfort, but I needed more.
“Who is he? Why won’t you tell me?” I urged, stepping into Alex’s space and stopping short of grabbing his jacket to plead with him.
“I can’t,” he replied, gritting his teeth as he glanced around the room, then his stare fixed on the words painted on my wall, and he let out a sigh. “I want to, but I can’t. And I know that sounds fucked-up, after everything, but it’s the truth. It’s better his identity stays buried. After today, I want to bury him, too. But trust me when I say, no good can come from exposing who he is. It’ll only make things worse. That’s a pandora’s box we don’t want to open.”
I didn’t know how to respond to his cryptic words. I wanted to keep arguing and get a name, but I also knew he wouldn’t budge. Alex Kingston was a man of his word. So, all I could do was nod and then tell him, “I guess I’ll have to trust that you know best.” And hope that he’d keep his word and stop this whole shitshow.
“I thought I knew who he was,” he said with a hint of sadness, staring off into space in a melancholy way like he was picturing happier times. “But now, I know everything was a lie.” And his face twisted into a furious glare. “I’ll deal with this. I know what I’m doing.” He stared down at me, his eyes ablaze with fury. “Pack a bag. You’re not staying here.”
I didn’t want to stay here. I didn’t feel safe. But Gracie wasn’t answering her phone, and I couldn’t afford a hotel. Reality hit me, and I felt a little ashamed. I was a grown woman, and yet the only people I could call on to help me were my friend Gracie, and this man standing in my living room who I barely knew.
“I’ll stop at Gracie’s,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure where the hell she was. But I had to hope she’d be at her apartment.
“You’ll come back to mine and I won’t hear anything else. I’m not leaving you vulnerable again,” Alex announced, as he started checking my windows again, wandering back into the kitchen to assess whether every possible point of access was secure.
I followed him into the kitchen. “I’m not vulnerable. I can look after myself. And it’ll be better if I stay at Gracie’s. She’s my best friend. She’s like a sister to me.”
“A sister who doesn’t answer her phone or messages and has no idea where you’ve been for the last few days.”
I guess he had a point.
He walked past me, striding back into the living room before he headed for the stairs, shouting over his shoulder, “You’ll come back with me. No arguments. I will sort this.”
He raced up the stairs and I did too, calling out, “I’m going to Gracie’s. I’ll be fine there.”
He ignored me and darted for the bathroom, before heading into my bedroom.
I stood on the tiny landing at the top of my stairs as I watched him check my wardrobe, and the windows, then he got down on his hands and knees to look under my freaking bed, and I lost it. Taking a deep breath, I folded my arms and snapped, “Can we just leave? I don’t like being here.”
I hated that I felt uncomfortable in my own home. That being here made my skin crawl, knowing he’d been here too.
He pushed himself up off the floor and strode out of the bedroom, coming to stand opposite me. He breathed deeply, his eyes penetrating as he looked right at me. I stared back, feeling a strange pull towards him. Alex had an aura that dominated any room he was in. Right now, it was dominating me.
He took his time to gather his thoughts, but when he eventually spoke, his words knocked me off my feet.
“You don’t like being here because you’re afraid, but you’re stronger than you think, Emma. Don’t let this rule you. Don’t let what’s happened change the pride you feel in this lovely home and everything you’ve achieved to get where you are in life.”
He paused, then said, “That night, when I saw you for the first time, I could tell you were a strong, independent woman, and I liked that. You intrigued me. And no one intrigues me. Ever. And I’ve met a lot of people. Then you started talking, and I wanted to know more. I had to know more. I wanted to know everything.”
He took a breath before saying, “You walked away from me, and I didn’t like that. I didn’t like the way it made me feel. So, I followed you, trying to get you to sit with us, but you said no, and I let you go again, like a fucking fool. I knew it was the biggest mistake of my life, to let you walk out of that gallery, and away from me. But I swore that night, that I wouldn’t let you do that again. I’d find another way to see you, and when I did, I’d make it count. There’s something here, Emma. A spark, or whatever you want to call it. I know you feel it, too. And I know you’re guarded because of all this, but I just want you to give me a chance to prove I’m not the man you thought I was back at my house. Come home with me, please. Let me look after you. And I know you don’t need anyone to look after you, you’re not vulnerable, but I would feel better, knowing where you are.”
I was struck dumb by the openness and honesty of his words. He was right, I did feel that spark. But how could I explore something when my world was burning around me?
“I appreciate your kindness,” I replied softly, and his shoulders sagged a little knowing what I was going to say next. “But I need to go and see Gracie.”
I knew from the look in his eyes that he wasn’t going to push it any further. He looked disappointed, defeated even.
“Okay,” he replied. “But could I still see you? Would you let me take you to dinner and put a proper smile on your face. Not the fake one like you’re giving me now to try and make me feel better.”
I opened my mouth, but words didn’t come out.
“Please, Emma. Give me a chance,” he added.
“I... I’m not sure... I don’t...” I was spluttering over my words, I was so confused, and then suddenly, he looked up and pointed at the small hatch that accessed my loft space.
“Do you use that space? Could I look up there?” he asked out of the blue.
“I don’t use it, and of course you can look up there,” I replied, feeling somewhat bemused at how quickly he’d changed the subject.
He stalked back into my bedroom and then came out with a chair. I stood there speechless, still stuck in the moment where he was begging me to have dinner with him and to give him a chance. Meanwhile, he was positioning the chair under the hatch and looking up at it with purpose.
He climbed onto the chair as I took a step back. Then he pushed the hatch up and open, peering into the loft space that I’d never been in.
The hairs on the back of my neck prickled as he gasped, and then he said, “Holy fucking shit. No fucking way. Emma. You’re gonna want to see this.”