Lee Weeks - Cold as Ice

Ebony smiled. He leant across the table and kissed her softly on the lips. Ebony resisted the urge to shudder. Something about Christian made her worry about what she was going to catch, even when he touched her hand. She pretended to look away bashfully as she took a drink of wine to wash it away.

At the end of the evening Ebony left Christian with another kiss at the Underground and made sure she wasn’t followed as she got off the Tube at the next stop and onto a bus. She walked the few minutes to her estate. Already she was beginning to feel more at home in the vertical village. The bangs and shouts of people on the landings and stairs echoed as she climbed the flights to her floor. She passed the groups of kids on the way up on the stairwell. Back inside the flat she rang Carter.

‘How did your cover hold up?’

‘Not bad. Christian senses I don’t quite fit but thinks it’s because of my life in Jamaica. He’s watching me. I’m the new girl to conquer.’

‘You’re finding it easy to keep in character?’

‘It’s not perfect but it’s getting easier. The accent is not a problem, doesn’t have to be that broad, but I worry that I’m not hitting the nail on the head with some aspects of parenting.’

‘Remember, keep talking about your baby.’

‘Yeah, but these women are in college to get some identity back. They don’t spend all night talking about their babies; they want a life beyond motherhood.’

‘You’ve got to know some of them?’

‘Yeah – a couple. It’s all a bit of a cliquey inner group in the college.

‘Alarm bells ringing?’

‘Plenty. He’s not someone I’d choose to spend time with.’

‘Did you get to talk to any of his conquests? We need to know what he’s capable of when he lets his guard down.’

‘Lots of them fancy Christian. It’s cut-throat between them. I’m definitely considered a target both by him and by the women he’s had flings with.’

‘What kind of man is he?’

‘Ruthless. Selfish. He sees himself as a saviour to single parents, giving them a bit of excitement in their lives – that’s what he says. Doesn’t for one minute feel remorse for the trail of broken hearts he’s left. He just shouts NEXT. And someone always steps up to take the bait. Women do seem to like him. He’s a charmer, easily bored. He’s devoted to his little girl, or so he says. Could be just another ploy to pick up women.’

‘Any mention of having tried a bit of weird sex stuff like asphyxiation on any of them?’

‘Give me chance, it’s not the kind of question that rolls off the tongue. I’m trying to meet up with a couple of the women on their own, get them really talking. There’s a coffee tomorrow morning with Selena, the one helping me catch up on my course. What’s the plan about interviewing college friends regarding Emily Styles’ death and Danielle’s disappearance? If Christian is Hawk he will be expecting it. He’ll know we’ve made the connection to the college. It won’t seem right if no one comes to interview.’

‘Yes, but not too soon. I can’t risk scaring him off. I’ll contact the college tomorrow and ask for names and addresses of their friends on the list. Who’s the one to talk to there?’

‘Yan Stevenson. He’s the one they all seem to connect with.’

‘Okay. Good work, Ebb. Glad you’re back in the flat. How’s pretend Archie?’

Ebony rolled her eyes. ‘You’re such a slushy bloke, Guv. Archie Two is not as cute as the real one but he smells a lot better.’

Carter laughed.

The Heath was still dark at seven a.m. the next morning. There was a dampness in the air and the snow was patchy on the grass. Janet was out jogging. She hadn’t been to the Heath since the morning she’d found the body. She kept to the paths. She would never get over the sight of the dead woman in the copse but she had to try and get her life back. She passed another jogger, didn’t recognize him. His woolly hat was pulled down over his ears. Good body thought Janet. She couldn’t see the face properly. His eyes met hers and she smiled. He looked about to speak but then jogged on. She began thinking about a route where she might bump into him again.

Hawk ran around the corner and up over the brow of the hill, then he veered left along a side path that he knew would take him down to the pond. He knew every inch of the Heath. He ran on the spot and waited until he heard the jogger’s feet on the path, coming his way, then he ran into her path and, just before he reached her, he tripped and landed on his hands and knees. He laughed, embarrassed.

‘Are you okay?’

He heard the feminine voice and felt warm breath on his face as she bent over him. He felt her body next to his and her hand on his back. He got onto one knee, shaking his head and smiling. Halfway up, level with her, he grabbed her and smothered her mouth with his hand as he dragged her back into the bushes. He took out the flask from his pocket and poured petrol over her head and shoulders.

Janet heard the screams. She looked up towards the brow of the hill and she saw a raging flame light up the sky.

Tracy was giving Jackson his breakfast when the phone rang.

Back in his office Robbo was waiting for her to answer it. He, too, was surprised at the early morning call.

‘Morning, Tracy.’ Hawk’s familiar deep voice rolled out.

Tracy didn’t answer him.

‘Morning, police team listening in.’

Robbo held up his hand for Pam to stop typing so that he could listen better.

‘Bowie, Carter, Vincent? Who else? The press conference was interesting. I know you’re full of tricks. But you’ll have to get up early to catch me out. Some of us have already been out jogging this morning. I’m getting bored with always being one step ahead of you imbeciles. But, I intend to take another victim. This last one I take will be my pièce de résistance . Every drop of pain will be extracted. This one will be written in the history books and you’ll remember it personally, Mr Robinson.

‘You have the power – you said to me, Tracy. Yes I have. I can choose who lives and dies. You have disappointed me Tracy. You’ve caused me to become a little hasty. I will not be rushed. This is my game and my rules. But you have entered my game from the sidelines. You have become part of the play. I now control you just as I do your daughter. I have your life in my hands. I can kill you when I choose.’

Tracy dropped the phone.

Robbo didn’t move. The office was silent.

Ebony fired up the laptop and made herself breakfast of a Pot Noodle. Robbo was waiting for her. She sat on her sleeping bag and opened her laptop.

‘How’s it going, Ebb?’ Robbo’s face was in the corner of her screen.

‘Good, thanks,’ she said between mouthfuls.

‘I see you’re keeping up your healthy eating regime?’

‘Yep.’ She lifted up the pot towards the webcam at the top of her screen and tipped the last of it into her mouth.

He watched her flip open the top on a can of Coke; she crossed her legs and frowned at the screen as she read her messages.

‘You looking at your Facebook?’ asked Robbo. He pushed down the plunger in his cafetière.

‘Yeah. I can’t believe how some people’s whole life is on Facebook.’

‘If you really were a single parent living in that high-rise hell, you’d thank the heavens for Facebook,’ he said.

‘Yeah, you’re absolutely right. I couldn’t have made this many contacts on the courses this quickly without it.’

‘Right. Today I’ve sent your friend requests out to thirty more people who are connected with the course. I’ve seen a lot of photos of Christian on other people’s pages. He seems to be the male student everyone has a photo with.’