Deadly Lies Read online

  ‘Remember to put on your mask,’ he said as he handed her the key. ‘And don’t stay longer than you need to.’

  At the top of the stairs, she pulled the mask over her face. He had installed a double lock. It was one of his many precautions though this one seemed exaggerated. Surely he didn’t expect a six-year-old and a four-year-old to break their way out?

  Lisa was curled up in a ball on the floor, linked by a chain to her sister. Emily was sitting with her back to the bunk. The older girl had a wary look on her face. Orange juice slopped from the beakers as Maria set down their breakfast.

  ‘Eat up.’

  ‘I’m not hungry,’ Emily said.

  Very likely the mask was scary for them. It was a Halloween one, a black-and-white horror number. Maybe that’s why Lisa refused to look up.

  Maria wasn’t allowed to interact with the children but she hesitated because Emily’s face was flushed and her lips were too red. Well, he wasn’t there to see, was he? Bending down, she placed her hand on Emily’s forehead. It was burning. Then she noticed the way Emily cradled her arm.

  ‘Have you hurt yourself? May I take a look?’ Maria’s voice sounded muffled.

  Gingerly, Maria reached out to roll up the child’s sleeve. Emily didn’t resist and when her arm was exposed they both stared. In the middle of her forearm was a deep cut, livid red with the sides of the wound gaping open. Maria had to stop herself from gasping for fear of scaring Emily. The child’s arm was swollen all the way to her elbow.

  ‘It hurts,’ Emily said.

  ‘It’s nothing to be worried about,’ Maria lied. ‘Have your breakfast. It’ll make you feel better.’

  When Maria went back downstairs she could not hide her concern.

  ‘What’s the matter? Has one of them died?’ he asked with a sneer.

  ‘That’s not funny. I thought you said the cut wasn’t serious. What happened to her arm?’

  He shrugged. ‘Nothing.’

  It had been stupid of him to take a knife though he never listened to her. It had been even more stupid of him to use a dirty rag on Emily.

  ‘I think it’s infected.’

  ‘All we need is for the kids to last long enough to carry out the plan. That’s all I’m interested in.’

  His tone made her shudder because she understood he meant it. To him, the children were pawns in the game. Nothing more and nothing less. Maria thought back to her own little brother, Billy. Maria used to look after Billy when their mother went out. She had lost contact with Billy years earlier and Maria knew it was her drug usage which caused the rift between them. Once, when he was little, Billy had to be rushed to hospital. He had almost lost his life.

  Maria licked her lips. ‘At least we should put some antiseptic on it.’

  ‘Some what?’

  ‘Antiseptic.’

  ‘Sure whatever, put some on if it will make you shut up.’

  ‘I’ll need to get some from the chemist.’

  ‘What the f–’

  He grabbed the sheets of paper and waved them in her face. His flash of anger was about breaking the rules. Rule number one – they went out as little as possible, rule number two – they did nothing to draw attention to themselves, rule number three – and on and on. This had been planned for months and he had stocked the cupboards with food and bottles of booze so they could survive as long as they needed to. No trip to the chemist had been accounted for.

  ‘What do you think this is?’ In his anger, he was scrunching his precious papers. ‘Something to wipe your arse with?’

  Maria noticed he had ripped one of the sheets which meant he’d have to write it out again. He wouldn’t like that either.

  ‘I’ve already got that bitch across the road to deal with. We can’t let anyone notice us. Got it?’

  The bitch across the road was the woman with the purple spikey hair. She was the one who had gone ballistic when he’d put his van in her parking bay. It had happened months earlier and they hadn’t seen her since although he had never forgotten because it went against the plan – keep a low profile. And the woman across the road parked her car in its bay every day which ate him up because in normal circumstances he would have slashed the tyres by now.

  He slammed his foot into the coffee table, shoving it halfway across the room.

  Maria pressed her lips together to stop them trembling. Was she really sure? Was it worth making the fuss and riling him up? Her little brother Billy had cut himself on a razor when he was playing in the bathroom. It had been a Friday night and their mother had left Maria and Billy locked in the house. By the time their mother returned on Monday morning, Billy’s arm was puffy and purple. He was covered in sweat and was slurring his words. The doctors had told them it was blood poisoning and Billy had almost died.

  She screwed up her courage. ‘My little brother had something similar and he had blood poisoning. She could get really sick and then what good will she be?’

  ‘What makes you a bloody expert?’

  ‘Well… for a ch-child her age blood poisoning can be deadly.’

  She was making him angry and that was always dangerous. He threw himself onto the sofa and leaned back. He was watching her with a nasty smirk on his face. Then he started cleaning his teeth with a toothpick. She could see her words sinking in and making him worry. It could be the flaw in his wonderful plan. It seemed like hours before he flicked the pick away.

  ‘It’s not worth it. The less people see me the better and I’ve already done the maximum number of trips out I’m allowing myself. The kid will have to survive like she is.’

  ‘And what if she doesn’t?’

  ‘Will you shut the fuck up!’

  He glared at her, toxic and volatile.

  ‘I c-could go.’

  Grabbing her wrist, he yanked her on top of him. ‘And what the hell makes you think I’d trust you?’

  She dragged up a smile and fixed it on her face. ‘Because you know you can.’

  He pulled her close, pressing her against the bulge in his jeans and she could smell his stinking breath.

  Grinding himself into her, he grinned. ‘Just so long as you don’t get any funny ideas.’

  ‘Of course I won’t. You’re hurting me.’

  ‘I’ll do far worse if you cock this up.’

  She nodded and her lips quivered and she couldn’t make them stop. ‘Tell me what to do.’

  ‘Ok-ay. Go straight there and back and no interacting with anyone. You walk ordinary and you look ordinary and you keep your head down. Any sign of trouble and you come straight back, got it?’ His eyes grazed down her front. ‘Go and make yourself look nice first, and remember, once you’re out of here I’ll be timing you every step of the way.’

  In the morning, when they heard someone coming up the stairs, Lisa whimpered and curled up clutching her knees tight. Emily could feel her heart pounding as the key turned in the lock. Was it the man? What did he want? Was he going to hurt them?

  Emily pushed herself up using one arm. The other one hurt too much to use it and she hugged it to her stomach.

  It wasn’t the man. It was the woman and she wore a mask like the previous day. The knot in Emily’s stomach loosened a bit. Emily stared at the breakfast tray and didn’t feel like eating, even though the night before she’d been starving. The woman’s fingers were gentle as she pulled up Emily’s sleeve and Emily could smell the woman’s flowery shampoo.

  Lisa didn’t move until the woman had left and the two sisters didn’t talk until the footsteps had gone away and they’d heard a door closing downstairs.

  ‘It’s jam on toast,’ Emily said.

  Lisa opened her eyes and came closer.

  ‘Don’t you want any?’ Lisa asked.

  ‘Not really, you can have it all if you want.’

  When Emily tried to sip her orange juice it turned her stomach. She really did feel strange but at least it was a relief to know they didn’t have to meet the man again. The woman was much nic
er.

  ‘Is Mummy coming to get us?’ Lisa whispered.

  ‘Of course she is,’ Emily said, and she closed her eyes and listened as Lisa slurped her juice and scooped in scrambled eggs.

  Her arm was throbbing and she could feel a thrumming in her head in the same rhythm as the one in her arm. Dum-dum, dum-dum. It made her feel dizzy and a bit sick like one time when Mummy told her she’d been in the sun for too long. Emily hoped it would go away soon.

  19

  When Maria left the house, the air felt fresh on her face. She’d showered and was wearing her favourite jacket with a flowery lining and a dress covered in poppies which brushed against her legs. Maria liked flowers because they somehow made her feel happier.

  He’d not allowed her outside for days and it all seemed so ordinary out here – not full of drugs and booze and messed-up thoughts. Why not keep walking? Why not go to the train station and get away? Where to – the little voice said in her head. Where can you go? You know he’ll find you.

  And if, or rather when, he caught up with her, he would show no mercy. Surely her safest bet was to see it through? Wouldn’t that be the best way and then she could get her money. And by sticking around she could do her best to help the children.

  She mustn’t walk too fast or it might attract attention. Maria tried to ignore the thumping of her heart. She felt vulnerable in the open as if other people could see inside her and know she was worthless.

  After about ten minutes she came to the brightly lit window of the chemist. Her palms started itching and she stopped to scrape them with her fingernails. Then, as she glanced around to see if anyone was watching, she froze. Was she hallucinating? Maria blinked hard and shrank back as far as she could into the shelter of the shop entrance.

  The figure across the other side of the road was exactly the same as she remembered – auburn wavy hair, freckles and long legs. Bloody hell, what was Sylvie Delacourt doing in Brighton? Wasn’t she supposed to have gone back to Australia?

  Sylvie was coming out of a large house. It looked like a doctor’s surgery. There was a gold plate on the wall and at the front of the property there was a notice saying ‘No Parking Doctor’s Clinic’.

  Sylvie was heading towards a bus stop.

  For one crazy moment Maria had an urge to rush across the road. She wanted to confess to her old friend and tell her everything. Sylvie might be willing to help. The young woman was much more confident than Maria and she had what Maria thought of as a free spirit. What if Sylvie helped her? What if they could escape to Australia together?

  Cold reality burst Maria’s bubble. Because they’d never really been friends, had they? It had been an elaborate set-up masterminded by him and Maria had used Sylvie and then dumped her.

  A red bus pulled up and a few moments later she saw her old friend taking a seat on the bottom deck. It was as the bus drove off that Sylvie lifted her head and she stared straight in the direction of the chemist. Maria clutched the wall so hard she ripped off a nail. She shrank into the shadows. It had been stupid to stand and stare.

  The bus was soon out of sight. Whatever Sylvie was doing in Brighton was none of Maria’s concern. He must never know and she must never mention it to him. It would throw him into a fit. And if she didn’t get back in time he would go berserk so she should forget about it and get on with what she had to do.

  Inside the chemist, it smelled clean. A horrible thought occurred to her. What if Sylvie had seen her and she came back to check? Maria’s heart began beating extra hard and she wondered if other people could hear it. Anxiety gripped her and sweat broke out on her top lip.

  A shop assistant came alongside and asked if she needed help. The assistant was eyeing her so Maria grabbed a basket and walked to the end of the aisle, randomly throwing in a couple of items. She needed a moment to get herself under control and then she needed to get out of here as fast as she could.

  She joined a small queue at the counter. It was difficult to think straight and maybe her own imagination was playing tricks. If she was honest with herself, was she really certain it had been Sylvie?

  Maria’s nose was running. It was the result of snorting and she couldn’t risk blowing it or it might turn into a full-scale nosebleed. In the past, when her using was out of control, nosebleeds were common. Maria dabbed it with a handkerchief and after a few moments it was her turn at the counter. She gave the pharmacist a fake smile.

  ‘A friend of mine has a cut which looks red and angry and I think it could be infected.’

  ‘If the mark is slightly red then an antiseptic might be sufficient.’ The assistant grabbed an item from the shelf behind her. ‘Try this, though if it doesn’t get better I’d advise you to consult your doctor. Is it for an adult?’

  Maria hesitated. He was always drumming into her the need for secrecy and being ultra-careful except what’s the point of buying a product which might not be right?

  ‘It’s for a child.’

  ‘Oh that’s different. How old are they?’

  Bloody hell this was getting complicated.

  ‘Ten,’ she lied.

  ‘I highly recommend you see a doctor if the symptoms persist.’

  The woman changed the product for another one and Maria paid. When she stepped outside, she scanned the street. Seeing no sign of Sylvie, she hurried along, her heels tapping on the pavement. She was just being silly and imagining things and it hadn’t really been Sylvie. Sometimes the powder made your mind play tricks – that was likely it.

  When Maria got to the house, he was standing with his phone in his hand and with the electronic stopwatch running. She could see paranoia in his eyes.

  ‘You were a long time.’

  ‘Was I? There was a bit of a queue.’

  He twitched with suspicion and of course it wasn’t helped by the fact she’d actually got something to hide. If he knew she might have seen Sylvie and Sylvie might have seen her he wouldn’t be able to control himself. The whole point of bringing the children down to Brighton was to escape Himlands Heath.

  ‘I’d better get some of this on her arm.’

  He slowly handed her the key. Slipping around him she raced up the stairs.

  At the top she was in such a state she almost forgot to put on the mask. Emily was still slumped against the bed and she seemed to be half asleep.

  ‘Do you feel hot?’ Maria asked.

  The arm looked worse than it had an hour earlier. She fumbled, trying to get the cream onto Emily as quickly as possible. Shit. What if it was serious like it had been with her little brother, Billy? Young children could deteriorate quickly. And what about him downstairs? He’d never agree to Emily seeing a doctor. Would she be able to persuade him to dump the child at a hospital Accident and Emergency?

  Who was she kidding? She wouldn’t have the courage to suggest it. It would leave him with only one bargaining chip – Lisa – which he’d never agree to.

  ‘Happy now?’ he asked her when she went down.

  ‘She’s worse.’ The words slipped out before Maria could stop them.

  ‘Tough shit. Not having second thoughts, are you?’ He pushed his face towards hers and there was a nasty look in his eye. It was the paranoia again. From the powder.

  She felt her emotions tumble around and there was fear and anxiety and neediness all mixed together. Right from the beginning she’d had zero chance of giving her opinion about his damn plan. There’d been no opportunity to say no because he’d dragged her into it. One day she’d been living her life and trying to build something and then he turned up and ruined it. He forced her. Or had he? Maria wasn’t sure anymore because holding it together had been exhausting and when he’d offered her an easier way she’d not put up much resistance, had she?

  She bit her lip. ‘You know me.’

  ‘Yeah I do, babe, and while you were out, I got Emily to phone her mother.’

  It came as a shock. ‘Oh, you did it when I wasn’t here.’

  ‘Yeah and until t
his is over, no more little shopping trips for you. You’ll be staying where I can see you.’

  For a moment she fantasised about calling the police or an ambulance. Though she couldn’t, could she, because she was up to her neck in it. She was an accomplice and why would they have any sympathy for her? A druggie? A sad loser who couldn’t function without her fixes. She didn’t want to go to prison.

  As if he could read her mind he reached out and snatched her phone from her jacket pocket.

  ‘And you won’t be needing this.’

  He removed the SIM card and the golden square gave a little crack as he snapped it in half.

  As he tossed it to the carpet he gave her a horrible grin and Maria knew it was far too late for her to get out.

  20

  Six months ago – Maria’s story

  Maria hung the last of the new deliveries onto the rail. These were silky dresses which she would never be able to afford. Her hands were sore from a day unpacking and hanging out new clothes and boxing up returns to send to the warehouse. Where she worked it smelled of the chemicals they sprayed on the clothes to keep them fresh, and it was giving her a headache.

  Four years earlier, when Maria first came out of the drug clean-up programme, her probation officer had found her a job in a factory. Maria grew to like it there. Then the factory went bust. They’d written Maria a good reference which helped land her this job at the fashion store. It was a big step up. The boutique owner had taken Maria on against the wishes of the shop manager, and as the shop manager didn’t stop telling Maria – Maria was damn lucky.

  Maria didn’t feel lucky. She felt out of her depth. The shop manager, Mrs Branson, didn’t let a day go by without reminding Maria she must never ever show herself on the shop floor. This was a quality fashion boutique and Maria’s place, Mrs Branson told her, was in the back room because customers didn’t want to see people like her. Having Mrs Branson shove her nose in it ate away at Maria’s wafer-thin self-confidence.