‘Who’d have thought it?
Ebony finished her phonecall and came back over to her laptop as Yan replied: ‘Shame.’ And signed off.
Ebony looked at the screen and what Robbo had written.
Bugger, she thought. She knew Yan would wonder why she said that. Maybe he’d question whether he’d understood her at all. She was just as shallow as all the others then.
Robbo watched her reaction: he saw her face drop as she stared at the screen and what he’d written.
‘You understand what’s at stake here, Ebb? I’ve sent Christian and anyone else who’s interested, a clear message that you’re a maybe. If he’s the killer he’ll need it. He has to think you’re ready. He might like a bit of superficial competition but he also likes a conquest.’
‘Do you think Christian could be our man?’
‘Yeah, I do. He’s working a familiar pattern through picking up a certain type of woman attending the classes.’
‘Do you have an address for him?’
‘Yes. We can’t risk getting too close to it. I think he’ll spot surveillance if we’re not very careful.’
‘Do you think he’d risk keeping the women at his house?’
‘Not there. He could have a lock-up somewhere. We are having him followed. We have a surveillance team on him. The injuries on the women suggest that they didn’t get fed, looked after regularly: they were starved and dehydrated. Someone could be visiting them less than three times a week.’
‘What do you want me to do?’
‘Gain his trust. Go so far. Keep a GPS signal transmitting and for God’s sake keep your wits about you. He loves to play games. He loves to hurt. He may say he does, but he doesn’t have a “physical type”, only an emotional one. All the women had in common was their circumstances in life. All of them deserved better than life dealt them and they were realizing it, they were striving for a better life and going it solo. They let their guard down with him. I don’t know why. Maybe his good looks, charm, some flattery that they never got. I expect most of them had trust issues like you. Most of them would have been wary. But as tough as these women had had it, they still craved acceptance, adoration from a guy like him. That’s the kind of women he goes for – ones where he understands their weak point.’
Chapter 39
Tracy opened the door for Jeanie. Jackson went to sit at the table. Jackson picked up his crayons and began drawing. Jeanie called Tracy into the kitchen to talk. Tracy spoke first before Jeanie had chance to:
‘Can I go out? I need to go and see Steve. I’ll be about an hour and I’ll be back by the time Jackson’s ready for bed.’
‘Okay, Tracy, if it’s important to you then you must go, but take the phone and try not to stay out too long. It’s much better if Hawk thinks you are here when he calls. If he does call, try and quickly find somewhere quiet to speak.’
‘What should I say?’
‘Try and make him feel like you could be a friend – a mother figure. Try and think of him as a victim, Tracy. As hard as it is I need you to be kind to him. I need you to be motherly.’
Tracy nodded. She looked down to see Jackson, who had come into the kitchen and was mirroring her own worried expression.
‘Jackson needs some fresh air, I think. We’ll go for a little walk, maybe to the library to read some books,’ said Jeanie.
Jackson nodded his head but his eyes stayed on Tracy, worried.
Tracy watched Jeanie get Jackson into his suit. Even Tracy missed Scruffy. She was even thinking of trying to entice the neighbour’s cat in for Jackson to play with but she wasn’t sure if it had fleas. She went over to him and knelt down and hugged him.
‘Have a nice time with Jeanie. Nanny will see you when you get back.’ Jackson nodded, put his arms around her neck and gave her a hug.
Tracy waited until they had closed the door behind them and then she put some clean shirts and underpants in a bag for Steve and locked up. She picked up the phone with a sense of loathing. It felt like she was a prisoner on death row, waiting but never knowing when the call would come. She closed the front door behind her and got into her car, drove out of the driveway and headed towards Steve’s work. She thought about calling him but it was getting near to the end of the working day now. She thought he wouldn’t mind if she just turned up.
She pulled into the company car park and looked at the vans parked up there. There was a main reception area in front of the warehouse. Tracy walked up to Betty who had worked on the reception desk for as long as Tracy could remember.
‘Hi Betty; is it all right if I say hi to Steve?’
Betty’s smile was fading fast; she looked nervously towards the main office, where Tracy could see people moving behind the glass window.
‘He’s not here, Tracy. I’m sorry.’ She shook her head and looked embarrassed. Tracy laughed nervously.
‘Oh. I thought he was working today?’ She frowned. Once again Betty looked towards the office. A man who Tracy didn’t recognize was watching them.
‘New staff member?’
Tracy smiled at the man watching her. He smiled back.
‘Uh, yes.’
‘Okay, well, I guess I’ll talk to him later then?’ Betty nodded. Tracy was almost out of the door when Betty called to her and came around the desk to speak to her.
‘Tracy, the thing is, he doesn’t work here any more.’ Tracy looked at her as if she were making a joke. Betty reached out to put her hand on Tracy’s arm, Tracy stared at it and then back up at Betty’s face.
‘The thing is, Tracy, he was suspended.’ Tracy didn’t answer. Her eyes flitted over Betty’s face and then towards the office where the man had turned away.
‘That…’ She looked towards the office door and the back of the man’s head. ‘That’s his replacement. Steve didn’t deserve it, despite the allegations.’
‘What do you mean?’
Betty took a deep breath. ‘Look, Tracy, I know you’re not going to like me for being the one to tell you but the thing is, I would want to know – so woman to woman, I’m telling you what I know. He was said to have got over-friendly with a couple of the clients we have – big customers. He made a bit of a nuisance of himself.’
‘In what way? I don’t understand.’
‘One of our clients is a college – you know what men are like – like boys in a sweet shop – he was seen hanging about a bit too often there, staying a bit too long. Some of the female students complained.’ Tracy started shaking her head. ‘It wasn’t just that, Tracy… he was also accused of trying it on with the boss’s wife; made a play for her, whatever you call it. They didn’t want to sack him and risk him taking it to a tribunal; my guess is they wouldn’t be able to prove it.’
‘The boss’s wife?’ Tracy shook her head, still not able to fully take in the news. ‘Why would they accuse him of that?’
‘Because… because… the truth is, Tracy, that he did have a bit of a wandering eye. None of the younger girls wanted to work with him.’ Tracy looked at her, horrorstruck.
‘Look. I’ve told you all I know. Six months ago he walked out of that door and I haven’t seen hide or hair of him since. Although I know he still comes here to a lock-up.’
Tracy frowned, shook her head. ‘Six months? That can’t be right. He’s been going to work every day just like he always does.’
Betty rubbed her hand on Tracy’s arm.
‘He’s been lying to you, Tracy. If you see him, tell him he has to return the keys to the warehouse; he has to bring the van back. Things will get very nasty otherwise.’
Tracy walked back out into the car park in a daze. Just then Hawk’s phone rang in her bag. She pressed the ‘accept call’ button and held it to her ear.